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REMINISCENCES OF 



WITH SOME ACCOUNT 
OF MONTCLAIR'S PART 
IN THE CIVIL WAR 

By PHILIP DOREMUS 



* 



MONTCLAIR, N. J., MAY, 1908 






i 

0' 



Preface 

These reminiscences were undertaken more parti- 
cularly for my own immediate family and a few friends 
who had asked for them, with little expectation of issu- 
ing them in book form. But when it became known to 
the public (a publicity that I had hoped to avoid), so 
many expressed a desire for what I could relate of the 
earlier days of Montclair that I concluded it to be 
my duty and privilege to comply with the request of 
my neighbors, at whose hands I have received so 
many expressions of kindness that are more highly 
appreciated and valued than this little effort can ex- 
press. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that I 
place this booklet at the disposal of my friends and 
neighbors, asking for it the same charity that has char- 
acterized their treatment of me in former shortcom- 
ings. 

The photographs are mostly of the generation of 
my parents; many of the faces of the generation pre- 
ceding them I can well remember, but they lived be- 
fore the days of photography. 

The sketches of the old school house and church 
were furnished by Mr. Henry Yost from descriptions 
given him from my memory. 

The picture of the old store was drawn by Miss 
Una Miles from a crude outline furnished from my 
recollection. They give a fair representation of these 
early buildings. 

Philip Doremus. 

Montclair, N. ]., May, 1908. 



Reminiscences 
of Montclair 



As PERHAPS the oldest person now living native- 
born and grown up with Montclair, I have been 
■ asked to make some record of its early history, 
the old-time people, locations of interest, business, etc. 

In my memory it has borne three different names, 
Cranetown, West Bloomfield and Montclair. In order 
to make the record more complete, and give a better un- 
derstanding of the growth of the town during my recol- 
lection, I have gone back of what I can remember and 
gathered some historic facts of the early settlement of 
this locality which was at the time, 1666, a part of the 
township of Newark, extending from the Passaic River 
on the east to the top of the mountain on the west, 
and was settled by Colonists from Branford and Mil- 
ford, Conn. On account of differences of opinion 
in matters of civil and religious liberty with the 
New Haven and Connecticut colonies, negotations 
were commenced in 1660 and continued for some 
years with Governor Stuyvesant of New Amster- 
dam (New York), seeking a locality "Where they 
might serve God with a pure conscience and enjoy such 
liberty and privileges, both civil and educational, as might 
best advantage them," but with no definite results up to 
1665, When Philip Carteret arrived from England with 
letters patent from King Charles II, and was appointed 
Governor of what now constitutes New Jersey, having 



2 R e m I n I s c e 72 c e s of Montclair 

been informed of New England Colonists seeking ter- 
ritory on which to settle, and desiring to develop and 
promote the interests of the province over which he had 
been appointed, the Governor dispatched messengers to 
Connecticut who were to commend the attractions of New 
Jersey as to its productive soil, healthful climate, and its 
favorable civil and religious privileges. After negotia- 
tions through delegates, Robert Treat and other promi- 
nent men of Milford, arrangements were concluded on 
terms of popular freedom to an extent then little known 
in the world. In attempting to take possession of the 
new territory they had agreed upon, the newcomers met 
decided opposition from the Indians as they were about 
to land on the Passaic River. The natives claimed 
priority of ownership. A final settlement was arranged 
with them through the kind offices of Mr. Samuel Edsal, 
who resided on Bergen Neck, and who on former oc- 
casions had transacted business with the Indians and 
was able to act as interpreter. In order to secure per- 
manently the new possessions to the Colonists, a for- 
mal instrument was perfected with the Indians on 
July nth, 1667, by which the settlers obtained title 
to all the land between the Newark Bay, on the east, to 
the foot of Watchung Mountain, on the west, the north- 
erly line being a branch of the Passaic River running 
northwesterly, and thence south to the bounds of Eliza- 
beth, embracing a large portion of the salt meadows 
east of Newark, including what is now known as New- 
ark, Orange, Bloomfield, Belleville, Glen Ridge and 
Montclair. The consideration for this extended tract 
was fifty double hands of powder, one hundred bars of 
lead, twenty axes, twenty coats, ten guns, twenty pistols, 



Reminiscences oj Mont cl air 3 

ten kettles, ten swords, four blankets, four barrels of 
beer, ten pairs of breeches, fifty knives, twenty hoes, 
eight hundred and fifty fathoms of wampum, two ankers 
(about thirty-two gallons) of liquor and three trooper's 
coats. Eleven years after this purchase the western line 
of the tract was extended to the top of the Mountain 
bv deed from the Indians dated March 13th, 1678. Two 
guns, three coats and thirteen cans of rum was the con- 
sideration for this last purchase. 

The Colonists, who had for some years under con- 
sideration their separation from the New England 
Colonies, had perfected articles of agreement express- 
ing their civil and religious views, which were signed by 
twenty-three heads of families at Branford, Conn., 
October 30, 1666, headed by Jasper Crane. The 
same document was subsequently signed June 24, 
1667, by forty-one Milford residents headed by Rob- 
ert Treat. 

In the government of the new colony, Robert Treat 
and Jasper Crane were leaders and the first elected 
magistrates. After rendering valuable service to the 
new colony, Robert Treat returned to Connecticut 
and became Governor of that State. All matters of 
public interest, both civil and ecclesiastical, were 
adjusted at the regular town meeting, the records of 
which show that the community was emphatically 
Christian. Religion was no abstraction, but a living, 
active principle, manifest in their immediate plans for 
the Christian Church and the education of the young. 
The effect of the moral and religious impressions these 
early settlers gave to this vicinity it would be diflficult 
to estimate. It is noticeable through its history and 



4 Reminiscences of Montclair 

doubtless has done much in bringing families of like 
interest and preference in its later growth. Several 
memorials of the spirit and zeal of these early set- 
tlers and their descendants are still extant, viz. : The 
First Presbyterian Churches of Newark, Orange and 
Bloomfield, the old Newark Academy and the Acad- 
emy at Bloomfield, now occupied by the German 
Theological School. As the community grew in num- 
bers it began to move westward toward the Wat- 
chung Mountain, and land grants were issued by 
action of the public town meeting. The grants were 
limited to one hundred acres and were issued under 
the advisement of five competent men chosen for this 
purpose. An early town record of December 29th, 
1670, states, "Jasper Crane had given him a little 
piece of land adjoining his home lot" (in Newark). 
Record of April 27th, 1694, shows warrants for tracts 
of land at the foot of the mountain to Azariah Crane 
on the northeast and Jasper Crane on the southwest, 
of one hundred and fifty acres. These men were sons 
of Jasper Crane, one of the original settlers. These 
two men evidently were the first white settlers in this 
part of the township, now Montclair, and as the 
neighborhood grew from their descendants, it took 
the name of Cranetown. As nearly as I can ascertain 
these tracts conveyed by warrant to these two men 
were strips of land lying under our mountain on 
both sides of Orange and Valley Roads, the northerly 
line near Chestnut Street and the southerly line near 
Gates Avenue. Members of the Crane family after- 
wards acquired large tracts of land over the mountain. 



Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 5 

which territory was known as Horse Neck, now Cald- 
well. 

Early Settlers and Residents 

Jasper Crane, whose name heads the list of the 
first twenty-three Colonists from Branford, Conn., 
emigrated from England and is named as one of the 
New Haven Colony, June 4th, 1639. He is mentioned 
as one of the most influential and active men in the 
new Newark Colony. His name is the first of the 
list of signatures for the original church in Newark 
dated January 20th, 1667. This church building, in 
size thirty-six feet by thirty-six feet, was located on 
the west side of Broad Street, south of Market Street, 
on a six-acre lot set apart by the Colony for a church 
and burying ground. This church building of frame 
was superseded about 1708 by a much larger one of 
stone with steeple and bell. The present church edifice, 
the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, located nearly 
opposite the original buildings, was a bold undertaking 
for those early days, but was carried through with 
heroic energy at great personal sacrifice, a building of 
such proportions and architectural taste that it is at 
this day an ornament to the city of Newark. It was 
dedicated under the pastorate of Dr. MacWhorter, 
January ist, 1791. 

Jasper Crane died in 1681. His will, dated 1678, 
mentioned his children John, Azariah, Jasper, and 
Hannah Huntington. He bequeathed to his son 
John a silver bowl, which afterward was inherited by 
his brother Azariah, who gave it to the First Church 



6 Reminiscences of Montclair 

of Newark and which is still in use in this old church 
as a baptismal font. Azariah Crane, son of Jasper, 
married Mary, daughter of Robert Treat, and is later 
mentioned as living at his home place at the Moun- 
tain (that is, now Montclair) in 1715. He was in- 
terested and active in town and church development; 
a deacon in the Newark church till his death. A deed 
conveying land to his son Azariah, Jr., dated "In the 
26th year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George 
the Second by the Grace of God," may be seen hang- 
ing in the public library of this town. He, with his 
brother Jasper were evidently the first white set- 
tlers at the foot of the Mountain. He died November 
5th, 1730, in his eighty-third year. His children were 
Hannah, Mariah, Nathaniel, Azariah, Jr., Robert, Jane, 
Mary and John. Historic records state that Nathaniel, 
oldest son of Azariah, was born in 1680 and settled near 
a spring at the foot of the Mountain. The old house, 
about which I played in childhood, was located on the 
Orange Road near to the present Myrtle Avenue, 
about two hundred feet west from the road. It was 
a two-story house with double pitched roof, large 
hall in the center with rooms each side. At the rear 
of the house stood a small building occupied in the 
early days by slaves and by their descendants as 
family servants through several generations. At the 
south end of the house stood the cut stone milk 
house built over the spring mentioned above. On 
the shelves of this cool milk room, I remember seeing 
the large pans of milk and rolls of new-made butter. 
The clear stream flowing from this spring was one 
of the heads of the brook now running across Church 



Reminiscences of Montclair 7 

Street and Bloomfield Avenue near Park Street. The 
last occupant in the family line of the old Crane 
homestead was Major Nathaniel Crane, who died 
childless. He was the fourth descendant from Nathan- 
iel, son of Azariah. The house was remodeled sev- 
eral times by successive owners after it passed from 
the Crane family. In later years it was known as the 
Frost house, Mr. Frost having- owned and occupied 
it for a number of years. It was taken down about 
1900 to give place for new improvements, with but 
little knowledge that it probably was the first house 
built in Montclair. 

Nathaniel Crane, an early occupant of this house, 
was public spirited and interested in this westerly 
end of the large township, and particularly desirous 
for a more convenient place of public worship than the 
distant church at Newark, which was the only one in 
the entire township up to 1719, when the first church 
of Orange was organized and know^n as the Mountain 
Society. Nathaniel Crane was an earnest supporter 
of the new enterprise and a liberal contributor to the 
new church building. He died in 1760. His children 
were William, Noah. Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Jane and 
Mehetabel. The preliminary to his will in my pos- 
session may be of interest to the present genera- 
tion. "Tn the Name of God, Amen. I, Nathaniel 
Crane, of Newark, in the County of Essex and prov- 
ince of New Jersey, Yeoman. Being weak in body, 
but of sound mind and memory, thanks be to God, 
calling to mind the mortality of my body do think 
fit to make and publish this my last Will. This 
Twenty day of Nov. in the Twenty-seventh year of the 



8 Reminiscences of M o n t c 1 a i r 

Reign of George the Second King of Great Brit- 
ton, Anno Domini, One thousand Seven hundred and 
Fifty-three. In the following manner and form, that 
is to say my just debts and funeral charges being 
paid, I first give and bequeath unto my beloved wife 
Elizabeth, my rideing chair (a two-wheeled chaise with 
leather top trimmed with green morocco, as I re- 
member it well preserved in my grandfather's wagon 
house). My best bed-Stead, Bed with all the coverings 
and furnishings belonging to the same and as much of 
the rest of my household stuff as she shall see cause to 
keep for her use and comfort, as also the great yellow 
cow and the little Red cow." Following is a further di- 
vision of his personal property, giving to his son 
Nathaniel his best vest with silver buttons. "Item. 
I give and bequeath to my beloved son Noah my 
negro boy named Shem upon condition that he doth 
on that account pay unto my three daughters the 
sum of Thirty-five Pounds to be equally divided be- 
tween them." Then follows the division of his real 
estate among his sons. He bequeaths to his eldest 
son, William, a tract of land on both sides of Valley 
Road north of Clairmont Avenue, where he evidently 
lived at the time in the stone house known later as 
Washington's Headquarters in time of the Revolu- 
tionary War. The old historic house was recently 
demolished and the entire farm has been changed to 
residential plots. It has remained in the family till re- 
cent years. A portion is still held by one of his 
descendants, Mr. Alfred J. Crane, now living at Mon- 
roe, New York. 

This same will gives to his second son, Noah, the 



Reminiscences of Montclair 9 

original home (the Frost house) together with the 
remainder of his land, both below and over the Moun- 
tain. Noah Crane was born April i8th, 1719. He 
married Mary Baldwin. His name appears as an 
officer and active supporter of the church. Near the 
close of his life the residents of Bloomfield and 
vicinity were planning for the organization of a third 
church in which he took a lively interest, and his 
name appears as a liberal contributor for the new 
church building, which still stands with some en- 
largement, the First Presbyterian Church of Bloom- 
field. He died June 8th, 1800, and the stone that 
marks his grave, with that of his wife Mary, may be 
seen in the Bloomfield Cemetery. His children were 
Samuel, born 1747; Esther, Joseph (my grandfather), 
born 1751; Elizabeth, born 1753; Caleb, Nathaniel, 
Mary, Nehemiah, Stephen and Mehetabel. His will, 
dated February 17, 1795, bequeaths to his oldest son, 
Samuel, the tract of land on which he lived at Horse 
Neck (now Caldwell). Many of his descendants are 
now living in that vicinity. Mr. Henry D. Crane, 
late Treasurer of the Montclair Savings Bank, was 
his great-grandson. To his daughter, Mehetabel he 
willed £70 York currency. She married Gen. William 
Gould who lived in Caldwell and was a representative 
in the New Jersey Legislature. His family monument 
stands just back of the Caldwell Presbyterian Church. 
All the land below the Mountain on both sides of 
Valley Road from Union Street north to near Hill- 
side Avenue, and also from Van Vleck Street north 
to about Oiestnut Street, he gave to his two sons, 
Joseph and Nathaniel. The homestead (Frost House) 



lo Reminiscences of Mont cl air 

was the inheritance of Nathaniel, who was born 
October 26th, 1757. He married Hannah Crane, and 
occupied several positions of trust. His commission 
as Captain of a Company of Light Infantry of the 
Militia of Essex County, date August 20th, 1803, and 
signed by Richard Howell, Governor of the State, and 
also his commission as Coroner of Essex County, 
dated October 23d, 1817, signed by Governor John 
Williamson, may be seen hanging in our public library. 
He was interested in the education of young men and 
to this end he was a liberal contributor to the build- 
ing of the Academy at Bloomfield, now the German 
Theological School. He also left a fund for the edu- 
cation of young men for the ministry still held in trust 
by the Newark Presbytery, the annual income of which 
is disbursed by the Presbytery in accordance with 
the will of the donor. He was as much interested as his 
ancestry in the church. The original bell of the old 
church at Bloomfield was his gift, and for many 
years its strong and sweet sound called the people 
living as far west as the top of our Mountain, and 
those living at the extreme north of Bloomfield, to 
public worship. He made provision for his old col- 
ored servant, James Howe, who was a survivor of 
the former slaves of the family and was known as 
Uncle Jim. He gave him a good tract of land on the 
north side of Clairmont Avenue running west from 
North Mountain Avenue, where he lived many years. 
A part of the house he occupied is still standing. As 
children, we used to enjoy visiting the old man who 
had become blind, and listening to his stories of our 
ancestry. Major Nathaniel Crane had no children, 



Reminiscences of M ontcl air ii 

and made the West Bloomfield Presbyterian Church 
the residuary legatee of his estate, which amounted 
to about ten thousand dollars. This fund the will re- 
quires to be held in trust by the church and the 
annual income to be used in support of the gospel in 
this church. He died April i8th, 1833. In recogni- 
tion of his gift to the church, the Society erected a 
suitable monument over his and his wife's graves in 
the Rosedale Cemetery. 

Joseph Crane, the third son of Noah Crane, who 
with his brother Nathaniel inherited the farm under 
the Mountain, was born in 1751, and married Hannah 
Lampson. of Orange. He built and lived on the 
opposite side of the street from the old homestead, 
a little north of the northeast corner of Orange 
Road and Plymouth Street. The old grandfather 
home with its hallowed surroundings, the mysterious 
old garret with its spinning wheels and other im- 
plements for converting the home-grown fiax and 
wool into material for family use, with the dark cellar 
in which were stored the bins of apples and vegetables, 
barrels of cider and vinegar, together with the pecu- 
liar odor of the special closet for cookies and pies, 
are still fresh from childhood's memory. He was a 
man of strong physique and marked integrity of char- 
acter, interested in public affairs, the promotion of 
religion and education; was highly esteemed as a 
citizen, and was an elder in the old church in Bloom- 
field from the time of its organization until his death. 
He contributed, as per subscription list still extant, 
£60 sterling toward the building of the church. Two 
of his sons were graduates of Princeton College and 



12 Reminiscences of Montclair 

later ministers in the Presbyterian Church. He died 
October nth, 1832. The following epitaph on his 
tombstone in the Bloomfield Cemetery is recognized as 
an honest record by the few who remember him: "As 
husband and father he was affectionate and faithful; as a 
neighbor, upright and obliging; as a citizen, patriotic 
and useful, and as a professor of religion, was an 
officer in the church in an eminent degree exemplary. 
He had the confidence of all that knew him. Lived 
esteemed and died lamented. He was a good man 
and full of the Holy Ghost." 

There were several other divisions of the Crane 
family. Of the generation named above, Aaron Crane, 
who was a descendant of Azariah, lived in a part of the 
building now known as the Hillside House formerly 
owned by the Wheeler family. He had a large and 
respected family. The names of two of his children, 
Zenas S. and Timothy, are familiar to some now liv- 
ing. They both have descendants residing in Mont- 
clair. Zenas S. Crane was a prominent citizen of 
West Bloomfield, serving the town for many years 
as Magistrate and Civil Engineer. A large proportion 
of the deeds of conveyance of land and wills of earlier 
days may be found in his handwriting. He was re- 
garded as particularly accurate both in his surveys 
and judicial decisions. 

His brother, Timothy Crane, lived on Valley Road 
at the corner of what is now Mountain View Place, 
his fine farm extending west of his residence. In early 
life he followed cabinet making. The old town ballot- 
box in use many years after his decease was his work- 
manship. Later he devoted his attention more par- 




ISRAEL CRANE 



Reminiscences of M ont cl air 13 

ticularly to his farm. He had a special fancy for fine 
fruit with which his place was well stocked. Mr. 
Crane was highly esteemed as a citizen and kindly 
neighbor. He has descendants still living in the town 
who revere his memory. 

Another branch of the family was Jeremiah Crane 
who lived in the house on the south side of Union Street 
west of Orange Road, more recently known as the Por- 
ter home, and owned a well-cultivated farm. His life 
antedates my memory, but he was spoken of as a sturdy 
old man. He reared a large family. Two of his sons, 
Ira Crane (grandfather of I. Seymour Crane) and Wil- 
liam Crane, were highly respected citizens of the town. 
Their descendants still live in Montclair and Newark. 

Israel Crane, who perhaps attained to a greater 
eminence than any of the family of his generation, was 
a descendant of William Crane mentioned above, 
who built and lived in the house known as Wash- 
ington's Headquarters. Mr. Israel Crane was a suc- 
cessful business man, regarded as the wealthiest 
person in this vicinity, conducted a large general 
store on Glen Ridge Avenue facing Spring Street, 
where his residence still stands; was an active man 
in the construction and later sole owner of the Newark 
and Bloomfield Turnpike, and rendered valuable ser- 
vice to the religious and educational interest of the 
town. 

Zadock Crane, one of the old time residents, lived 
near the southeast corner of Midland Avenue and 
Walnut Street. I am told that his old well still 
exists under the house of Mrs. Charles H. Johnson, 
Jr. Uncle Zadock, as he was familiarly called, had 



14 Reminiscences of Montclair 

some eccentricities. He claimed to have been actively 
engaged in the Revolutionary War, and used to relate 
to us his heroic deeds in service. He was possessed 
with an idea of large mineral wealth, mainly gold, that 
could be dug from our mountain. He made a number 
of excavations resulting only in finding what was 
called "Fool's Gold." Walnut Street at that time was 
a private lane used as a wood road, terminating in 
the woods near where the Greenwood Lake Railroad 
station now stands, and was called Zadock's Lane. 

Stephen Fordham Crane and Amos Crane were 
grandsons of William Crane and the last descendants 
of the family to occupy the old Washington Head- 
quarters. Their farms were largely on the east side 
of Valley Road. Tlie tract south of Walnut Street 
and extending east to Forest Street, was the property 
of Stephen Fordham Crane, and that part of the farm 
north of Walnut Street as far east as the Erie Station 
was owned by Amos Crane. They were quiet home 
people, highly respected, and both members of the 
First Presbyterian Church of which Stephen Fordham 
Crane was an elder. Amos Crane possessed a well 
selected library and was a man of large general infor- 
mation. By the growth of the town these farms were 
greatly enhanced in value, making a liberal fortune 
for their families. 

Joshua Crane, a cousin of Stephen F. and Amos 
Crane, occupied the adjoining farm north. The house 
stood on the west side of Valley Road near Van 
Vleck Street, and the farm on the opposite side ex- 
tended east about to Forest Street. My boyish 
memory of Mr. Crane is associated with his peculiar 




TOTIX MUNN 



Reryiintscences of M o nt cl a i r 15 

voice as leader of the singing in the prayer meeting 
and Sabbath School. He married, quite late in life, 
a lady of strong character from Pennsylvania, and it 
was generally understood that his conversion to the 
Democratic party and Baptist faith was due to her. 
The old home was later purchased by Dr. Wiseman, 
of New York, who made some fine improvements; 
one in the line of his profession was a pond for the 
cultivation of leeches. The evidence of its productive- 
ness was furnished by their adherence to the bodies of 
the young bathers when they left the water. 

Josiah Crane, a brother of Joshua, lived at the 
northwest corner of Clairmont Avenue and Mountain 
Avenue. His farm lay north and west of his residence 
and later came largely into the possession of Mr. 
Joseph Van Vleck. Mr. Crane was an active sup- 
porter of the Methodist Church in its early history 
in Montclair. He was blessed with a large family 
of children, one of them, the Rev. John Crane, was 
a minister in the M, E. Church. William C. Carl, 
distinguished as an organist in New York, is his 
grandson. 

As the early settlers were almost entirely of the 
Crane family, the name is necessarily conspicuous in 
this paper, but that I have barely touched the family 
line is apparent when I state that Hon. Ellery B. 
Crane of Massachusetts who has recently published a 
genealogical list of the Crane family, has found it neces- 
sary to use two volumes to make it complete. 

In the growth of the town other names besides the 
Crane family appeared among the early settlers. The 
northern part of the town was entirely a farming 



l6 Reminiscences of Mont cl air 

locality. The principal names of its early settlers 
were Speer, Van Gieson, Sigler, Harrison and Gar- 
rabrant. Speers predominated and it took the name 
Speertown. 

The southern part of the town, joining Orange, was 
also a farming settlement, conspicuous names being 
Baldwin, Ward and Dodd, Being nearer the cen- 
ter than Speertown, they were more intimately iden- 
tified with the social and civic interests of the 
community. Capt. John Baldwin, whose residence 
stood at the northeast corner of Elm Street and 
Orange Road, was physically and mentally, as well 
as morally, a strong man. He was eminently patriotic 
and a zealous politician in the true sense, and was a 
representative of real worth in the State Legislature. 
His brother Caleb Baldwin, whose farm and home 
was occupied for many years by the family of Mr. 
George P. Farmer, on the Orange Road, was a 
strong and sturdy character, zealous for the religious 
interests of the town and a close student of Jonathan 
Edwards. His intelligent, sincere and earnest Christian 
life has left an influence that may still be traced 
through the few who remember and revere his name. 
He was an officer for many years in the First Presby- 
terian Church at Bloomfield. 

Among the names of valued citizens of this gen- 
eration was Mr. John Munn, who lived in the house 
now occupied by the Clover Hill School, corner of 
Mountain and Bloomfield Avenues, his farm extending 
to the top of the Mountain. He was closely identified 
with the public and reUgious interests of the town, as 
such was a valued citizen, and was an officer in the local 




MATTHIAS SMITH 



Reminiscences of Montclair 17 

church. He served the town for many years as 
magistrate and the State as a member of the Legis- 
lature. 

Matthias Smith lived, and, for the times, conducted 
a large leather manufacturing business on the prop- 
erty now occupied by Mr. I. Seymour Crane. I have 
in my possession the contract made by Smith & Dore- 
mus with David Riker, dated May 26th, 1807, for 
building the currier shop, 17 x 20, which stood, when 
I was a boy, just in front of where Mr. I, Seymour 
Crane's residence now stands. The consideration for 
furnishing the material and completing the building 
was one hundred and ninety dollars. The tan yard, 
bark mill, pond and vats occupied the ground in the 
rear. Mr. Smith held the esteem of the entire town 
as a Christian citizen. He was an elder in the Bloom- 
field Presbyterian Church till the time of the organiza- 
tion of the Presbyterian Church in Montclair, of 
which he was an elder till the time of his death. 
Associated with him for a number of years in the 
early history of his leather business was my father, 
Mr. Peter Doremus, who withdrew from the firm in 
181 r and started a general store on the site still 
occupied by his descendants. He also established 
an extensive shoe manufacturing business located on 
the corner now occupied by Charles M. Decker & 
Bros.' building. He was interested in the business, 
educational and moral welfare of the town, and re- 
.spected for his integrity of character. 

Many other names come trooping to memory of 
men who made up the town half a century ago, 
among them Capt. Joseph Munn, who opened his 



l8 Reminiscences of M ont cl air 

tavern in 1802 in the house that was moved to give 
place for the public library building. After the Turn- 
pike was completed (a direct road from Morris County 
to Newark) he built and moved to what is now known 
as the Mansion House, which he conducted with gen- 
eral satisfaction to the traveling public till well ad- 
vanced in life. He was a respected citizen and promi- 
nent in the Masonic Order. 

Associated with Mr. Munn in the hotel and in the 
business of manufactering hats, which was conducted 
on the opposite corner, now the Union Hotel, was 
Nathaniel Baldwin, who was the first appointed Post- 
master of the town and kept the oiifice in a side room 
of the hotel. Mr. Baldwin was a quiet and respected 
gentleman. In his will he left a tract of land on 
Bloomfield Avenue, running through to Church Street, 
to the First Presbyterian Church, part of which is 
now occupied by the Church Manse and the Y. M. 
C. A. building. 

Squire Ephraim Stiles, who served the town as 
magistrate for many years, lived on the property 
occupied by the late Mr. Charles K. Willmer and still 
has descendants living in Bloomfield. His son Silas was 
a teacher in the town school. 

Adjoining Mr. Stiles' farm on the south lived 
Squire Gideon Wheeler. The old residence still stands. 
He was one of the early schoolmasters and his son 
Isaac for many years was teacher of the village 
school. His son, Grant, lived on the property on 
Orange Road now occupied as the Hillside House, 
and with his sons carried on an extensive paper manu- 
facturing business. 




CAPT. JOSTvPII MUNN 



Reminiscences oj Mantel air 19 

An interesting old gentleman, whose blunt hut 
genial presence was always enjoyable, was Mr. Moses 
Harrison. His home and farm were on Valley Road, 
embracing what is now Erwin Park, named for his 
son Erwin who succeeded him as occupant of the 
homestead and farm for many years. Mr. Jared 
Erwin Harrison was a man of thrift and held posi- 
tions of trust. He, with William J. Harris and Grant 
J. Wheeler, was active in securing the Newark and 
Bloomfield Railroad to Montclair and all three were 
members of its first Board of Directors. Mr. Harrison 
conducted a large business in manufacturing cider and 
vinegar, which had an extensive reputation. He was 
a man of marked energy, stern, but tender-hearted. 
The old residence is still held and occupied by his 
descendants. 

A little to the southwest on Valley Road lived 
Levi Kent, a friendly and familiar gentleman of the 
town, whose farm was a part of and joined the 
athletic grounds. His old home was moved back 
(and still stands) to give place for the new one built 
by Mr. Jacob Mayer, who purchased the farm, and 
whose descendants still occupy it. 

Historic Statistics 

Some items from a Gazetteer of the State of New 
Jersey, published in 1834 at Trenton by Thomas F. 
Gordon, will be of interest. Following is its record 
of the Township of Bloomfield: 'The villages of the 
township are Belleville, Bloomfield, Spring Garden 
and Speertown.'* The territory covered by above 



20 Reminiscences of M ont cl air 

villages reaches from the top of our Mountain to the 
Passaic River, to the county line on the north and 
to Orange on the south. The census of 1830 gives 
the population as 4,309. What is now Montclair 
would show a census of less than one-third of 4,309. 
The number of horses and mules it states were 387; 
number of cattle, 862. In 1832 the entire township, 
including Belleville, was assessed as follows: State 
tax, $754.50; county tax, $238.37; poor tax, $1,200, 
and road, $1,200. In contrast the assessment of 
Montclair for the year 1907: 

County tax $141,438.85 

Town tax 157,675.88 

School tax 98,768.70 

Poor tax 6,000.00 

Road tax 48,000.00 

The aggregate, $451,883.43, of this present Mont- 
clair assessment contrasted with the assessment of 
$3,392.87 covering the original township in 1832, is 
an index of the phenomenal growth of our town in 
the last seventy-five years. There are single tax- 
payers in Montclair whose taxes amount to nearly the 
entire budget of 1832. The Gazetteer gives the rec- 
ord of Bloomfield Village, which at that time was 
Bloomfield and Montclair Townships: "The popula- 
tion about 1,600, 250 dwellings, 2 hotels, an Academy, 
boarding school, 4 common schools, 2 stores, i Pres- 
byterian and 2 Methodist Churches, 2 woolen factories, 
I mahogany sawmill, i rolling mill for copper, i calico 
print works, 2 sawmills. Also an extensive trade is 
carried on in tanning, currying and shoe manufactur- 
ing." A few items of the early history of Newark 



Reminiscences of Mont cl air 21 

from this book are interesting. Its population in 
1830 was 10,953, but a little more than one-half the 
present population of Montclair : "Besides the 
churches the only public building of the town of 
much importance is the court house and prison of 
brick under the same roof. The keepers' apartments 
and prison cells are on the ground floor. Court 
rooms, jury rooms and Sheriff's office on the second 
floor." 

The entire provision for public travel between 
Newark and New York at that time was a steam- 
boat making two trips daily with an average of 
seventy-five passengers; two lines of stages almost 
hourly, conveying eight hundred passengers weekly 
between the two localities. The account adds that "this 
communication will be still more frequent when the 
New Jersey Railroad, now rapidly progressing, shall 
have been completed. The Directors are now running 
the road through part of the town and propose to cross 
the Passaic River about the center of the town upon 
a wooden bridge on stone abutments." In 1834 the 
railroad track between Newark and Jersey City was 
completed and the first excursion over the road was 
made in September. The passenger car Washington, 
described at the time in the public press as a splendid 
and beautiful piece of workmanship, contained three 
apartments with seats on top. Regular trips between 
the two cities at a cost of thirty-seven and one-half 
cents each way were commenced September 15th. 
Eight round trips per day accommodated the travel. 
For more than a year the cars were drawn by horses, 
until the road across the meadows was sufficiently 



22 Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 

settled to make it safe for the engine, which first came 
into use December 2d, 1835. I remember, as a boy, 
seeing this car, Washington, drawn by horses on its 
way across the meadows to Jersey City with pas- 
sengers seated on top. The growth of travel between 
Newark and New York from that day to this is a^ 
marvel. 

A few items from newspapers of near the same date 
will show the contrast between the early days of stage 
coach and sailing vessels, with the present day of 
railroad and telegraphic communication. A New 
York paper of December nth, 1828, gives reports 
of the British Stock Market; also commercial reports 
from London, dated October 27th, forty-five days old. 
An item of rapid transit is given in the same issue. 
A gentleman who left Boston at seven o'clock A. 
M. drank tea in Philadelphia the next evening at 
seven P. M., thirty-six hours between the two places. 

The Newark Sentinel of Freedom of December 
15th, 1829, gives in full President Andrew Jackson's 
message, which had been read to Congress on the 8th, 
just one week previous. Part of the delay is explained 
by the fact that this was a weekly paper, for the Editor 
states that the message reached New York in the re- 
markable time of sixteen hours by special arrangement 
of the New York Commercial Advertiser, and makes 
acknowledgment of his indebtedness to this paper for 
having furnished him a copy of the message that en- 
abled him to issue an extra at four o'clock P. M. the 
next day after it was read to Congress. 

Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, whose benevolent 
face I well remember, was a member of the Senate 



Reminiscences of Montclair 23 

at this time. A quotation I))- the Newark Daily Ad- 
vertiser of May 27th, 1834, from the New York Com- 
mercial Advertiser says: "Few States have reason to 
be more proud of their representation in the Senate 
than our neighbor. New Jersey. Such men as 
Southard and Frelinghuysen would confer honor 
upon any legislative hall, whether bearing the appella- 
tion of a House of Lords or the humbler designation 
of a Republican Senate." Mr. Frelinghuysen later 
was candidate for Vice-President on the Whig ticket 
with Henry Clay. An irreverent slogan in this political 
campaign was, "Clay at the card table and Frelinghuy- 
sen at the communion table." 

The following marriage notice appears in a New- 
ark paper of Tuesday, December 15th, 1829: "Mar- 
ried in New York on Saturday morning last by the 
Rev. Dr. Wainwright, the Hon. Daniel Webster, of 
Boston, to Caroline, youngest daughter of Herman 
Le Roy, Esq., of that city." The above mentioned 
papers are in my possession. 

Development of Industries 

In the development of the town the earliest mill 
interests of Montclair, of which I have any personal 
knowledge, were a sawmill and cider mill. 

The sawmill, run by water power, was located on 
Toney's Brook at Bay Street, a little south of Glen 
Ridge Avenue. The mill seemed to be a community 
interest where the farmers converted their logs into 
boards or timber to suit their needs. It preceded my 
memory many years, but Uncle Jim, mentioned above, 



24 Reminiscences ofMontclair 

in the old time stories that he used to tell us of the 
early days, gave me some account of this sawmill. 
He said he used to go with Deacon Joseph Crane to 
the mill to assist him in sawing logs into boards. It 
was first necessary to cut the logs into the proper 
length for the boards, this being done with a hand 
or cross-cut saw. The old gentleman took the handle 
of one end of the saw and young colored Jim the 
other, and with a twinkle about his face Jim said: "Back 
and forth the old man kept the saw and me going 
without a stop till the cut was finished, and I was 
right glad when it was done." He told this as an 
illustration of the physical power of my grandfather 
of whom it was said he would plow a half acre of 
land before breakfast. 

The primitive cider mill was located on the west 
side of Orange Road about two hundred feet back and 
midway between Myrtle Avenue and Plymouth Street, 
joint property of the two brothers, Major Nathaniel 
and Joseph Crane. It was also regarded as a neigh- 
borhood convenience, as the apple crop had come to 
be quite a factor in the farm products. A few barrels 
of cider and vinegar were included in the cellar stores 
for the winter, and the long evenings were cheered 
with doughnuts and cider. This mill was constructed 
with a circular trough hewn from logs, and into this 
was fitted a heavy solid wooden wheel with axle to 
which the horse was attached. The trough was partly 
filled with apples and these were crushed by the 
wheel in its rounds ready for the press from which 
the apple juice flowed under the power of the great 
wooden screws, and when barreled it was a bovish 



Refnijjjscences of M o n t c I a i r 25 

pleasure that I well remember to suck through a 
straw, inserted in the bunghole, this new sweet cider. 
Years later, in the development of farm land, apple 
orchards multiplied and the cider industry became 
prominent in this locality. There were four mills 
with greatly improved machinery from which it was 
estimated six thousand barrels were annually shipped. 
New York was the principal market, but large quan- 
tities were shipped to the Southern States, for Jersey 
cider had a reputation. At the time of apple gather- 
ing in the Fall, it was a common sight to see a long 
line of large farm wagons at the approach to the mill, 
loaded sometimes with fine fruit, waiting their turn to 
unload. There was a distinction made in the kind 
of apples. The early or Fall fruit were called ''common" 
and sold for five and six cents per bushel. The latter 
consisted of three particular kinds. Harrison, Canfield 
and Nursery were designated as "line" and brought 
from ten to twelve cents per bushel. There was a 
very perceptible difference in the quality of the juice 
from the two grades of apples. The former or "com- 
mon" was usually converted into vinegar and the latter, 
a much richer quality, was kept for market as "Fine 
Cider." Only one of these four mills had a distillery 
connected with it. 

For the times, quite an extensive business in 
manufacturing woolen goods was carried on under 
the management of a stock company organized in the 
early part of last century, in which Israel Crane, 
Daniel P. Beach, Ephraim Stiles and Peter Doremus 
were prominent. The stone factory was located on 
the east side of Bay Street, a few hundred feet south 



26 Reminiscences ojMontclair 

of Glen Ridge Avenue. The water power was sup- 
plied from the same stream that had for years run 
the old sawmill. The storage of water was a pond 
that covered the ground now partly occupied by John 
Blondell & Sons' coal yard. The embankment that 
held the water ran along Glen Ridge Avenue for about 
two hundred and fifty feet from the coal ofifice, then 
turned in from the street with rather a high stone dam 
at the east end for the overflow. The natural bank 
on which the Lackawanna Railroad now runs formed 
the south boundary. When flooded the water flowed to 
a point near the Harrison Milling Company's buildings. 
From the southeast corner ran a wide race-way to Bay 
Street conveying the water to the mill. This mill- 
pond and race-way were the Summer and Winter 
resort for the town boys. Swimming, fishing and 
skating were much enjoyed by the young people in 
their seasons. After a very successful business of 
a number of years in manufacturing woolen goods, 
the mill was sold about 1825 to Henry Wilde, a 
practical mill operator from England. He introduced 
new machinery and greatly increased the business with 
some changes in the kind of goods manufactured. 
Later he made plans for its enlargement, building a 
new and larger stone mill lower down on the stream 
on what is known as the Wheeler mill property. The 
natural lay of the land between the two mills was 
well adapted for a pond for the water supply of the 
new mill. A dam built on the north side of Bloom- 
field Avenue and on a line with it was about all 
that was needed to flood the land back to the old mill 
near Glen Ridge Avenue and to form a larger 



Reminiscences of M o n t c I a t r ly 

pond than the first one. The overflow was at the 
arch bridge at the railroad crossing, as the brook 
now runs. A friend now Hving, who" when a boy hved 
in this neighborhood, remembers well the building of 
this mill and dam, and when ten years old was em- 
ployed in the mill, working twelve hours a day for 
one dollar per week. Mr. Wilde was successful in his 
new venture, employing a large number of men, boys 
and girls in the two mills. The employees were large- 
ly from England, so much so that this part of the 
town took the name of the English Neighborhood. 

In Mr. Wilde's prosperity he built a fine cut brown 
stone house a little east of the Pilgrim Mission Church, 
which was regarded at the time as the finest residence 
in the town. After the decease of Mr. Wilde, the two 
mills passed to his son Henry, a man of business 
ability and marked integrity of character. The suc- 
cessful record of the business under the management 
of the elder Mr. Wilde was maintained by his son to 
the time of the general financial crisis of 1837 which 
paralyzed commercial interests throughout the country 
and made it necessary for Mr. Wilde, with many 
others, to suspend business. During his business 
prosperity he was interested in the welfare of his em- 
ployees, planning for their moral and educational bet- 
terment, establishing a Sunday School, etc. It was 
largely through his influence that the First M. E. Church 
was built in Montclair, now St. Marks, still standing 
on Bloomfield Avenue east of Elm Street. Mr. Wilde 
afterward located in Newark, where he was successful 
in the lime and cement business, and where he died a 
few years ago at a ripe old age. most highly esteemed. 



28 R e jn I n I s c e n c e s ojMontclair 

Later, when business began to revive in the coun- 
try, John Wilde, a cousin of Henry Wilde, came over 
from England and started the mills again, but changed 
the business to bleaching and printing cotton cloth. 
The printing w^as at first by hand from wooden blocks 
in two or three colors. Later machinery and steam 
power were introduced and they were able to print 
in six colors, which was considered a great advance 
in the art of printing cloth. The products of the 
mills largely increased and frequent shipments were 
made to the New York markets by a strong team of 
horses kept for this purpose. Mr, Wilde was a man 
of public enterprise and in the interest of his em- 
ployees used to conduct religious services in the 
Washington School House located on Glen Ridge 
Avenue. Later, through his influence and largely from 
his own means, an Episcopal Church was built, lo- 
cated in the neighborhood near what is now Pine 
Street about three hundred feet back of the north 
side of Bloomfield Avenue. This was the origin of 
St. Luke's Church, which has with the growth of the 
town attained its present fine proportions. 

This old stone mill was destroyed by lire early in 
the fifties, and on March 25th, 1854, the fine stone 
residence shared the same fate while occupied by Mr. 
Dennis Brigham, who succeeded Mr. Wilde in the 
business of the print works. Later a frame building 
was erected on the ground that had been occupied by 
the stone mill, and for many years a large business 
was conducted by G. J. Wheeler & Sons in manufac- 
turing straw boards for paper boxes. 

Besides the several industries named above, there 



Reminiscences of M o nt c I a i r 29 

were the usual mechanical interests to meet the needs 
of the town. The village blacksmith shop was lo- 
cated on the point now occupied by the Montclair 
Savings Bank. Its approach was usually lumbered 
with scrap-iron, old wagons and carts, an unsightliness 
that would not be tolerated in these days by the Town 
Civic Association. Mr. Joseph Kent did the general 
blacksmith work and horseshoeing for the surrounding 
country. In about 1834 he sold his stand and busi- 
ness, including his residence at the east end of the 
shop, to William S. Morris, who with marked energy 
increased the business, adding the manufacture of 
plows, a demand for which was made by the growing 
farming interest in the surrounding country. 

On the opposite side of the street was the wheel- 
wright shop and residence of Mr. Richard Romer. 
His house and shop occupied the ground extending from 
the east end of the Crane building to about the middle 
of the Kirby building. Besides the local business of 
the town, he had quite a market for farm wagons and 
carts in the South. The plow and wagon part of the 
business was shared by these two neighbors, one 
doing the wood work and the other the iron work, 
balancing their accounts at the end of the year. 

Adjoining Mr. Romer's property on the east was 
the town harness shop conducted by Mr. Peter Sand- 
ford, which stood on the ground now covered by the 
east end of the Kirby building, and his residence still 
stands adjoining, very much as it was at the time his 
family occupied it. 

These gentlemen all had the respect and full confi- 
dence of the community. Mr. Morris was for many 



3© Reminiscences of Montclair 

years an active officer in the Presbyterian Church and 
Mr, Sanford in the M. E. Church. 

The town cooper shop stood about where Dr. 
Love's office now stands, and the Chib House covers 
the ground then occupied by the one-story residence of 
the cooper. Cooper Crane manufactured the barrels 
and kept in repair the washtubs for the town. He was 
succeeded by a kindly Irishman known as Cooper 
Noonan. He was blessed with a Rooseveltian family. 
His son George was one of the boys with us, a bright 
fellow and often invited to give readings for families. 
He settled in Texas and attained some eminence as a 
Judge in the courts. 

The Town Stores 

The mercantile business of the town was confined 
to two stores of general merchandise, a full stock of 
groceries, dry goods, crockery, hardware, hats, shoes, 
medicines, iron, seeds, etc.; also in the earlier days 
a general assortment of liquors sold only by the quart 
or gallon, more generally by the gallon. In the early 
attack on the growing intemperance of the times, this 
part of the business was entirely eliminated. 

In my memory Mr. Israel Crane was the first in 
the mercantile business in the town. His store was 
located on Glen Ridge Avenue, opposite Spring Street, 
near his residence still standing. This business pre- 
ceded the opening of the Turnpike. To keep in touch 
with the new highway and to hold his trade, he 
opened Spring Street making an easy connection 
with the Turnpike, Mr. Crane did a large and sue- 




I'l'.ri'.K 1)()Ui-:ml" 



Reminiscences of M ont cl air 31 

cessful business for many years, and was succeeded 
by his youngest son, James. 

The other store was started in 181 1 by Peter 
Doremus on the site now occupied by the Dore- 
mus building. He carried a heavy stock of general 
merchandise to meet the increased demand for family 
supplies occasioned by the improved facilities for travel 
over the new Turnpike, bringing a large trade from 
Morris and Sussex Counties. Trade was most active 
in the Fall and Spring, when families would come to 
town and purchase their supplies for the season. 

Methods of business in the early days were quite 
different from the present. Instead of the regular 
morning order for the day, visits were less frequent 
on account of the distance from the store, and 
family supplies were purchased accordingly. Con- 
sequently business was much less strenuous, giving 
more or less leisure to the merchant for general town 
talk with the regular "setters." Families from Mor- 
ris County would occupy a full day purchasing stores 
to carry them over several months, and the business 
was generally transacted in the Dutch language, which 
my father spoke fluently. This at the time was the 
spoken language of a large part of Morris and Bergen 
Counties. 

The present custom of daily calling for orders and 
delivering the goods had not then been thought of by 
merchant or customer as a business method, much less 
a telephone call a half mile from the store for a two- 
cent yeast cake "sent up quick." 

The present day stock of package and canned 
goods is an entire change. Nearly all ordinary gro- 



32 Reminiscences of Montclair 

ceries were in the bulk. Coffee was sold in the 
bean, unroasted; flour came from up country in 
sacks and was emptied into large bins; New Orleans 
molasses and sugar in hogsheads. The moist, unre- 
fined sugar was taken from the cask and mixed with 
a dry Havanna sugar, giving it a better consistency 
for weighing out from barrels in which it was placed 
after mixing. The loaf sugar neatly wrapped (the 
outside paper a uniform bright purple) hung from the 
ceiling beams in rows. This was particularly "com- 
pany" sugar and was broken off in quantities as de- 
sired. The purple paper wrappers were much sought 
after by the ladies to use for dyeing material. Flour 
was always weighed in bags provided by the customer, 
the customary division as to quantity being based on a 
system of one hundred and twelve pounds for one hun- 
dred-pound weight. The weights were of cast iron 
representing respectively fifty-six pounds, twenty-eight 
pounds, fourteen pounds and seven pounds. The sale of 
sugar in quantities of seven pounds is still in general 
use. The scales in use for these weights and for bulky 
goods consisted of a heavy iron beam hung from the 
ceiling with square board platforms suspended by chains 
from the beam ends. 

Instead of the present molasses faucet to fill the 
measure, a tin dipper was used, the hogshead being 
first conveniently placed and the head removed. The 
open cask (but meant to be kept covered) was a 
temptation to the small boys to get a lick of the 
sweet. One little fellow climbed to the top edge of 
the hogshead, lost his balance and fell in. He told 
me, some years afterwards, that my oldest brother 



Reminiscences ofMontclair 33 

lifted him out, and when he got home he was badly 
covered with molasses and flies. That was long ago, and 
we need have no fear of such defilement of our mo- 
lasses under the modern methods. 

It is a pleasant and interesting memory to recall 
the gatherings of the men of the town of three gen- 
erations ago in this old store during the winter even- 
ings, entertaining themselves with tlie general news 
of the day and a large fund of stories which would 
usually be prefaced by "that puts me in mind of." 
During the political campaigns the discussions would 
some times become rather warm. Conspicuous and 
rather a leader was Capt. John Baldwin, an old line 
Whig in politics and a man of large brain. One or 
two of the stories told peculiar to the times may be 
mentioned. A considerable business was done in the 
way of barter, farm products, eggs, butter, potatoes, 
etc., being exchanged at the store for merchandise, 
and it was the common custom in the days when wine 
was a part of the stock to treat the customer after 
the deal. A good lady sent her husband to purchase 
for her a darning needle, giving in exchange a new- 
laid egg. After the trade he asked the usual treat. 
The glass of wine was served, when he asked, "Couldn't 
you afford an egg to break in this?" "Rather close 
business," the merchant replied, but handed him the 
same egg that was in the deal, which the customer 
found on opening contained two yolks, on account 
of which he thought he was entitled to another needle. 

One of the story-tellers with a good deal of dry 
wit related the following: Indigo was quite an article 
in trade and every good housewife kept her indigo 



34 Reminiscences of M o n t c I a i r 

bag, which must be of the best quality to give the 
proper shade to the rinsing water of the weekly 
family wash. A good lady with some experience in 
the use of indigo undertook to give her neighbor 
an infallible test by which she could determine the 
genuine, viz.: Take a cup of clean cold water and 
gently drop into it a lump of indigo — but, I declare, 
I forget whether it must sink or swim to be good. 

Public Highways 

The Turnpike, referred to above, was an important 
event in the early part of the last century for the 
town and surrounding country. A stock company 
under the title name of Newark and Bloomfield Turn- 
pike Company, became incorporated February 24th, 
1806, of which Israel Crane was President. The 
survey contemplated as direct a road as possible 
from Newark at the corner of Belleville and Bloom- 
field Avenues west to Pine Brook, with the Pompton 
branch running north from a point just west of the 
top of the Mountain to Singac. Many who had sub- 
scribed for stock paid for it in work with their teams 
in opening and constructing the new highway, and, 
like all public improvements, it met with more or less 
opposition. In one instance this took on rather a 
violent character. The new street cut through the 
grounds of a family whose house stood about where 
Christ's Episcopal Church now stands in Bloomfield. 
As the workmen undertook to open the new street 
across these grounds, the lady of the house came out 



Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 35 

in strong protestation, ordering them off her ground 
and severely threatening them with broomstick in 
hand. After a conference the matter was amicably 
adjusted by an extra award of a good calico dress. 

The road was constructed with a foundation of 
heavy stone and over this a course of small-sized 
broken stone, then a thin coat of earth. The stone 
for this purpose was quarried from the rocks at the 
top of the Mountain and broken to the proper size by 
hand, giving employment to a large number of men. 
The road was kept in creditable condition under the 
management of Mr. Crane, who later became the sole 
owner of the stock. The revenue from the invest- 
ment was the receipts of toll from four gates located, 
with residences for the gatekeeper, at proper dis- 
tances from each other. One was a Httle west of the 
canal bridge near Branch Brook Park, one at the top of 
the Mountain, the third at the approach of the Pine 
Brook Bridge, and the other one on the Pompton branch 
at Singac. The completion of this Newark and Bloom- 
field Turnpike was an important improvement for the 
times and proved a large and general benefit to this 
locality and the surrounding country, making the 
markets of Newark and New York accessible to the 
farm-producing country in the northern and western 
parts of the State. In the Fall and early Winter it 
was an interesting sight to see the long line of white 
canvas-covered wagons drawn by well-kept horses, 
and loaded with farm produce for the market, dressed 
hogs, poultry, butter, eggs, dried fruit, nuts, etc. 
Besides these were the regular teams from the grist 
mills of Morris and Sussex Counties, furnishing the 



36 Reminiscences of Montclair 

stores of this vicinity their entire supply of wheat and 
rye flour, buckwheat, Indian meal, oats and ground 
horse feed. Another industry, conspicuous in those 
days but now almost obsolete, was the manufacturing 
of charcoal, carried on extensively in the adjoining 
country to the west, and it was a common occurrence 
to see a long line of the big tapering-bodied, V-shaped 
wagons loaded with charcoal on their way to market. 
This, as a matter of course, was all changed with the 
development of the railroads throughout the State, 
furnishing a quicker and better transportation to the 
markets of Newark and New York. 

In 1870 the executors of Mr. Crane sold the Turn- 
pike to the Essex County Road Board, which Board 
had been created by the State Legislature with the 
primary purpose of constructing six fine avenues 
leading out from the city of Newark. By them the 
street was widened, graded and macadamized, and 
greatly improved as a public highway, and given the 
name of Bloomfield Avenue. 

The original roadway from Newark running west 
and through this locality was called the Old Road 
(dating back to the early settlement). It followed 
Belleville Avenue to Second Avenue, a little south 
of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, thence westerly on what is 
now Franklin Street, passing the Baptist and West- 
minster Churches in Bloomfield, then following Broad 
Street on the west side of the Common to Park Ave- 
nue, following this and Bloomfield Avenue to Glen 
Ridge Avenue, to Montclair Center, crossing Bloom- 
field Avenue to Church Street, thence to the Library 
corner, thence north on Valley Road to the corner 



Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 37 

of Clairmont Avenue, thence to the top of the Moun- 
tain, then following Clairmont Avenue till it again 
touched Bloomfield Avenue at Verona, then in and out 
of Bloomfield Avenue on to Pine Brook and Parsip- 
pany. For many years after the Turnpike was com- 
pleted this old dirt road was chosen as the pleasanter 
driveway to Newark. It was more largely built up, 
and besides it avoided the toll-gate. 

The Old Road, now Valley Road, was later con- 
tinued from the corner of Clairmont z^. venue north to 
connect with a road at Upper Montclair running over 
the Mountain to Little Falls. I have a copy of the 
report, dated May 13th. 1768, of the surveyors "who 
were duly chosen and called according to a law of the 
Province in that case made and provided to lay out 
a Road or Public highway in the town of Newark ;" 
the description follows very much the same as the 
road now runs and is signed by the six surveyors ap- 
pointed. The description begins at the road leading 
over the Mountain near Garrit Speer's field, running 
south through the lands of Peter DeGarmo, Rynier 
Van Gieson, Gideon Van Winkle, John Egbert, Wil- 
liam Egbert, Noah Crane, terminating at the house 
of William Crane, Washington's Headquarters. The 
above named streets, the Old Road, the Turnpike and 
what is now Bellevue Avenue connecting Speertown 
and Stone House Plains, at the north end, and Wash- 
ington Street (laid November i, 1744) at the south 
end, were the only streets running east and west. 
Those running north and south were Valley Road, 
which, near the Central School building, joined the 



38 Reminiscences of Montclair 

Orange Road, Elm Street continuous with Grove 
Street, and South Fullerton Avenue, a narrow street 
then called the Lane. These were the only public 
roads of the town. 

From memory I am able to locate nearly every 
house and name each family living on these streets 
in my early days. The number of residences was 
about one hundred. The present numerous streets, 
fine residences, public buildings, churches, and schools 
that have sprung up in a single memory, present a 
wide contrast to one who can recall the early appear- 
ance of our town when it was an open country almost 
entirely farm land with a large portion of it heavily 
wooded. The land north of Walnut Street nearly to 
the northerly boundary of the township and from 
near Midland Avenue on the west to some distance 
beyond Grove Street on the east, with few exceptions, 
was overgrown with large trees and underbrush, and 
known as the Big Woods. Remnants of it are still 
extant as may be seen on Park Street, the Rand Park, 
etc. There was also quite a strip of woodland north 
of the Turnpike (Bloomfield Avenue) between Park 
Street and Midland Avenue, reaching from the Turn- 
pike north as far as Claremont Avenue. Another al- 
most covered with wood was the square at the comer of 
Bloomfield Avenue and Elm Street, now occupied 
by the Mullen Stables, etc. These various woods 
furnished fine nutting grounds for the young people 
of those days. The land approaching the top of the 
Mountain was largely overgrown with cedar trees. 



Reminiscences of M ontclair 39 

Schools 

In the center of the town was located the two-story 
stone school house. From an old school record that 
came into my possession a few years ago, is the 
following item: "At a School meeting held at the 
house of Joseph Munn, Friday, March 13th, 1812, 
Capt. John Baldwin was appointed Moderator and 
E. D. Ward, Clerk. It was resolved that the Trustees 
be instructed to secure a deed from Israel Crane for 
a site on which to erect a schoolhouse, containing 
twenty-five hundredths of an acre, bounded on the 
northeast by the Turnpike Road, on the south by the 
Old Road and on the west by Pumenas Dodd's gar- 
den fence. The Trustees were Israel Crane, Matthias 
Smith, Joseph Munn, Eleazer Crane, Oliver Crane, 
David Riker and Justice Baldwin." 

The description in the above deed covers the point 
of land in front of the First Presbyterian Church. 
The garden fence of Pumenas Dodd ran on about the 
front line of the church as it now stands, and the 
easterly end of the schoolhouse green extended 
about ten feet beyond the present curbstone. Near 
the point was an elm tree, one of a line of trees that 
was set out by the young men of the town, who dug 
them in the woods, carried them and planted a row 
on each side of the Green the full length of the lot. 
Those on Bloomfield Avenue were sacrificed in widen- 
ing the avenue, the one at the point being removed 
when that end of the Green was thrown into the public 
highway. Only two of these original elms are now 
standing on Church Street. This Green, not en- 



40 Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 

closed at the tiitte, was the playground for the 
scholars and baseball was played with less exposure 
of windows than it would be at the present time. 
One school exercise that I can remember in connec- 
tion with the old Green was a plan of the teacher to 
fix the multiplication table in our young minds by 
marching us in line about the Green with martial 
tread, repeating in concert "twice one is two," etc., etc. 

The school building stood about twelve feet in 
front of the present church building, and at the foot 
of the Green was a creditable liberty pole with gilded 
ball and liberty cap on top. The schoolhouse was two 
stories, twenty-two feet by forty-four feet, built of 
red sandstone, with entrance at the south gable end. 
The upper story was reached by a stairway from the 
entrance hall and was arranged with two rows of 
permanent seats, painted green, with platform and 
reading desk at the north end, and was used for 
religious service, the pastor from the Bloomfield 
church holding service periodically Sunday afternoons. 
The service was sometimes conducted by a layman. 

Mr. Israel Crane, who had undertaken to study for 
the ministry but was compelled to give it up on ac- 
count of ill health, sometimes led the meetings in 
this upper room, and I well remember, as a boy, his 
striking face, his slightly stooping form and his pecu- 
liar accent as he read for us the long sermon of some 
good old preacher. 

The schoolroom below was arranged with platform 
and teacher's desk at the north end, with continuous 
stationary desks on each side, the full length of the 
room, with benches painted lead color. In front of 




1.^1-'— SCIloni. FinuSK— 1S37 



Reminiscences of Montclair 41 

these was a row of smaller benches for the younger 
scholars. This room was also used for public en- 
tertainments, singing school, etc. Mr. Thomas Hast- 
ings, of New York, used to come out and give instruc- 
tions in singing. . 

The early teachers were Gideon Wheeler, Philander 
Seymour, David J. Allen, Warren S. Holt, Isaac B. 
Wheeler, Silas Stiles and Mr. Packard. While I can 
remember several of them, my early instructions were 
from Mr. Holt and the impressions made by him may 
have been more strongly fixed by disciplinary treatment 
for which he had a good record. Mr. Holt conducted 
the school successfully for a number of years, introduc- 
ing some new methods, closing each year with a public 
examination and in the evening a grand display of the 
elocutionary powers of the scholars, which was called 
the "Exhibition," and was regarded as the school event 
of the year. Conspicuous in oratory was "On Linden 
when the sun was low, All bloodless lay the untrodden 
snow," and Patrick Henry's famous speech, "Give me 
Liberty or give me Death," was declaimed with 
oratorial eflFect. Dialogues of William Tell, illustrated 
by shooting the apple from the boy's head, and of 
David and Goliath, wherein the little David would lay 
low the big boy Goliath with a stone skillfully thrown 
from his sling, where rendered at the Exhibition with 
great satisfaction to the numerous audience. 

Mr. Holt's final parting from the school, I think, 
made a more lasting impression on the minds of 
the scholars than the dry rules of arithmetic or Eng- 
lish grammar. The entire school was invited to his 



42 Reminiscences of Montclatr 

boarding house and treated to all the scholars wanted 
of good home-made root beer and gingerbread. 

After Mr. Holt closed his engagement with the 
district school he married a daughter of Elder Caleb 
Baldwin and opened a day and boarding school at 
the Mount Prospect House, which he conducted suc- 
cessfully for many years. The popularity of the 
school drew scholars from various parts of the coun- 
try, also many of his former pupils in town. Mr. 
Holt died at the age of eighty-six on June i6th, 1894. 

I have no information as to the annual cost of the 
school in those earlier days. Taking for data the year 
1852, when the male teacher received $340 per annum 
and the lady assistant $200, we perceive a wade con- 
trast with our present school assessment of $98,768.70 
and the corresponding advance in the facilities for pub- 
lic education, giving opportunity to the young people 
of this day that ought to be appreciated and improved. 
The low rate of teachers' pay in those early days, as 
it seems to us, doubtless compared favorably with 
wages in other industries and with the cost of living, 
but it would seem to give some justification to a tradi- 
tional story of a teacher who, when the periodical time 
for the payment of his board came around, would reg- 
ularly, but rather privately, take the required amount 
from a certain earthen mug on the mantel where the 
good landlady had placed the previous payment. I 
don't know that it is true, but they used to tell it of 
good old aunt Hannah Crane's teacher-boarder. 

I may perhaps mention, as of some interest, one 
or two incidents of the old school days. The geogra- 
phy class was arranged in line before the teacher. 



Reminiscences of M ontc I a i r 



43 



The lesson was a review of the rivers of the United 
States, the scholars answering in their regular turn. 
The teacher gave the location of a certain river in 
one of the States, and the particular question put to 
the scholar in line was the name. The boy, who was 
a little noted for his dullness, hesitated for some time, 
when the teacher failing to use the tonsorial phrase 
of the present day, "next," called emphatically, "Em- 
mons," meaning the next scholar, which the boy to 
Vi^hom the question was first given understood as a 
kindly help from the teacher, and immediately re- 
sponded, "Oh yes, I remember now, the Emmons 
River." 

While the teacher was illustrating from the plat- 
form to the class in philosophy some point by the 
use of a mirror, with his back toward the scholars, 
a big, athletic fellow sitting next to me did not seem 
to discern how the teacher could see him with his 
back towards us and began to throw out his pugilistic 
fists towards the instructor on the platform, when im- 
mediately came the words from Mr. Holt, rather em- 
phatically and to the chagrin of my chum, "Take 
care, Sardius. I am looking at you." There was a sud- 
den drop in the fighting attitude. 

One feature of school life would be a noveltv to 
the present day scholar, and that is the goose quill. 
It was the only pen we knew of, and when the hour 
came for waiting practice the teacher with penknife 
in hand would follow the class in line, sharpening each 
pupil's quill pen in turn. This was superseded by 
the steel pen, then the gold and now the fountain 
pen and typewriter, and much after its order comes 



44 Reminiscences of Montclatr 

the adding machine, which adds and mnltipHes num- 
bers without limit so correctly that it looks as though 
arithmetic, like the quill pen, is liable to be driven 
from the school by advancing mechanism. 

Churches 

The organization of the First Presbyterian Church 
was effected August 31, 1837, under the name of the 
West Bloomfield Presbyterian Society. The new 
church purchased the stone schoolhouse and grounds. 
Plans were made for a church building by Decatur 
Harrison, a young architect living in the upper part 
of the town. His portrait may be seen hanging in 
the Produce Exchange in New York, of which he later 
was President. The upper story of the old building was 
taken down, leaving the schoolroom to be finished 
for social meetings and Sabbath School. It was fur- 
nished with the green seats from the upper floor. The 
new church of wood was built over this room, enlarged 
by extensions over the front and south ends, giving 
a pleasant and commodious audience room. The 
building fronted to the east with heavy pediment 
supported by pillars corresponding. From its loca- 
tion in the center of the town, the church was con- 
spicuous, well proportioned and in good taste. The 
extension over the front of the old schoolroom made 
a large open porch and entrance way to the stairs 
at the south end, which led from a platform to a land- 
ing on each side of the audience room. The pulpit 
with heavy red tasselled cushion and high ornamental 
lampstands on each side with comfortable sofa for 




i83T— FIRST l'Ki;SI!VTERIAX CHURCH— 1856 



Reminiscences of Montclair 45 

the preacher, chairs and table in front, were arranged 
with good effect at the north end of the audience 
room. At the other end was the choir gallery, built 
over the stairway, from which the good old tunes 
were rendered, taking the pitch from the tuning fork, 
excepting when Mr. Caleb Ward was present with his 
bass viol, materially aiding the church music and 
amusing the young folks as we watched his mouth fol- 
lowing every movement of the bow. But the old musi- 
cal instrument, which we used to think was a big thing, 
is no more, and every voice of that old choir, so fa- 
miliar to me as a boy, is now silenced in this world, but 
I believe, under the strong and earnest teachings of 
the good pastor. Dr. Fisher, is now singing with 
the celestial choir. 

Rev. Samuel W. Fisher was the first pastor. 
While a student in the Union Theological Seminary 
of New York he came out and preached for the new 
church. He was a son of Dr. Samuel Fisher, who was 
a preacher of considerable note in the state. After 
Mr. Fisher graduated he was called and installed as 
pastor of the church in 1839. It was a very har- 
monious and successful pastorate for more than four 
years, when he accepted a call to a church in Albany, 
N. Y. Afterwards he was called to a church in Cin- 
cinnati and later became President of Hamilton Col- 
lege. He was succeeded in the West Bloomfield 
church by Rev. Aaron C. Adams, who served the 
church six years, when he returned to New England 
where he served as a pastor for many years. He died 
a little more than two years ago aged ninety-one. 
Succeeding pastors were Rev. Job F. Halsey, Rev. 



46 Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 

Josiah Addison Priest, D.D., Rev. Nelson Mil- 
lard, D.D., Rev. J. Romeyn Berry, D.D., and Rev. 
William Junkin, D.D. Pleasant and endearing mem- 
ories are cherished for these former pastors who did 
much for the moral and religious welfare of this com- 
munity. All of them have departed this life except 
Dr. Nelson Millard, who is now living in Rochester, 
New York. The present pastor. Rev. Llewellyn S. 
Fulmer, was called from Baltimore and installed over 
the church in October, 1901. 

The first church building in Montclair was the M. 
E. Church, referred to above, erected in 1836. Henry 
Wilde, Gorline Doremus and Josiah W. Crane were 
active promoters of the enterprise. The advantage of 
the change made in its location some years later to 
North Fullerton Avenue is apparent from its present 
beautiful buildings and largely increased membership. 

The original building of the First Presbyterian 
Church soon followed. Next was St. Luke's first 
building, mentioned above, and the next in order 
of time was the Roman Catholic Church, a plain frame 
building located in Washington Street and now occu- 
pied by the Foundling Society. The Church of the 
Immaculate Conception made a wise move when it 
changed its location to North Fullerton Avenue where, 
through the strenuous labors of Father Mendl, it has 
attained its present large membership and material 
advance in the large and handsome church building 
Hearing its completion, together with its fine Paro- 
chial school building on Munn Street. The other 
church organizations of the town are fresh in the 
memory of the present generation. 




RHV. SAMUia, I'lSHJCK. D.I).. 1. 1.. I). 



Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 47 

Up to about 1870 the four churches named, viz.: 
the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Roman 
Cathohc, seemed to satisfactorily accommodate the 
church-going people of the town, but for about fifteen 
years previous there had been a gradual and increas- 
ing growth of residents encouraged by the improved 
traveling facilities to and from New York. A large 
proportion of the new residents allied themselves with 
the Presbyterian Church (the Society was at this 
time worshipping in the present building), and, while 
this was not in many cases their denominational pref- 
erence, yet in the spirit of a true Christian fellowship 
they added much to the material and spiritual interests 
of the Society. At the time the church was built it was 
the custom to give to the contributors a pew or pews 
according to the amount subscribed for the church 
building, giving the holder the perpetual ownership on 
the payment of an annual annuity fixed by the Society 
for the support of the church. With the largely in- 
creased membership, the unequal privilege in the 
choice of pews with many who were sharing the 
expense of the church was apparent. After some 
effort to overcome this olden-time custom, the pews 
were almost entirely surrendered to the Society, thus 
giving a more equal chance in the choice of seats, 
in consideration of which very liberal contributions 
were made by the new-comers for the improvement 
of the church property. Galleries were put in. the 
pews were rearranged, adding much to the seating 
capacity of the audience room, also to its general 
appearance. 

A large proportion of these families who had 



48 Reminiscences of Montclatr 

united with the Presbyterian Church and had worked 
and contributed with them for many years in the 
spirit of true Christian Catholicity, were, in denomi- 
national preference and education, Congregationalists, 
and early in 1870, when they felt their numbers would 
justify a church organization of their own choice, 
they held several preliminary meetings, resulting in a 
unanimous decision to that end; and on June 8th, 1870, 
a Council of the Congregational Church on invitation 
met in the Presbyterian Church, when the organization 
was consummated. In the following September the 
Council met again in the same place, when Rev. 
Amory H. Bradford, who had received a unanimous 
call to become their pastor, was ordained and installed 
pastor of the new church by the Council. 

The severance of this large and valued member- 
ship from the old church was attended with much 
regret, but with a hearty Godspeed. 

From the phenomenal growth of the new enter- 
prize, its energetic work in the religious, moral and 
intellectual welfare and general betterment of Mont- 
clair under the long pastorate of Dr. Bradford, it 
seems quite evident there must have been some good 
Presbyterian ingrafting during the years of associa- 
tion with the old church, and it is certain a kindly 
impression was left, as the relationship of the two 
churches since has been one of true Christian fratern- 
ity, markedly manifest in the annual New Year morn- 
ing prayer meetings, which Mr, Joseph B. Beadle, one 
of the founders of the Congregational Church, was 
largely instrumental in inaugurating and which has 
been for nearly forty years a valuable contribution to 



Reminiscences of M o n t c I a i r 49 

the true Christian fellowship of all the churches in 
Montclair. 

As a general rule in those days the graveyard 
was connected with the church. This was located on 
Church Street, the land having been purchased by 
the Presbyterian Society from Major Nathaniel Crane, 
and ran back to the Crescent. Trinity Place was the 
western boundary and Bradford Place the eastern. 
The first interment was Prudence, wife of Zenas 
Baldwin, who died March 8th, 1837. ^^ ^^^^ town 
began to grow it was later abandoned as a burial place 
and the bodies and monuments were removed to the 
Rosedale Cemetery. 

After the school property was sold to the church, 
a new location was purchased of Ira Campbell on 
Church Street and a one-story frame school building 
erected about where the chapel of the Presbyterian 
Church now stands. When it was decided to build 
the present church, more land was necessary and a 
strip of land between the two streets running back 
to the line of Mr. Cole's store was purchased. Two 
dwellings on the property were sold at auction. The 
one on the Turnpike was moved to the east side of 
South FuUerton Avenue, opposite the Crescent, where 
it stands at present somewhat enlarged. The other, 
which was located on Church Street, now stands at 
the northeast corner of Glen Ridge Avenue and 
Forest Street. The present church building was com- 
pleted and dedicated November 12th, 1856. At the time 
it was considered a big undertaking for the Society 
and by many regarded as a building in size much be- 
vond any future need of the town. The new church 



50 Reminiscences ofMontclair 

was located just back of the old one and the Society 
continued to hold service in the latter while the new 
building was being constructed. A few weeks before 
its completion the people of the town were much sur- 
prised to see a fine church bell on a heavy truck driven 
into town. It was placed on the stone platform at the 
front entrance of the new church where it stood for 
several weeks. The explanation of the unexpected 
surprise to the people was read in the following in- 
scription cast in the bell: "Presented to the Presby- 
terian Society of West Bloomfield, N. ]., by Miss 
Mary Crane, Oct., 1856, 1084 lb., Key of G." Miss 
Crane was a daughter of Israel Crane and an esteemed 
member of the church. The bell was hoisted to its 
present position in the tower and its fine tone has 
been a familiar sound for more than half a century, 
calling worshippers to the House of God. 

Later there was a general move for more ad- 
vanced facilities for public edvication and after many 
meetings of prolonged and heated discussions, a de- 
cision was reached to purchase of Grant J. Wheeler 
the land on Church Street between Valley Road and 
Orange Avenue, and the present Grammar School 
building was erected, which was regarded as a big 
advance in the school interests of the town. And as 
we look back to the plain, original schoolhouse of 
1740, with its fire-place in one corner, standing on 
Church Street, near the present locality, and compare 
it with our present large and fine Central School 
buildings with their advanced facilities for education, 
it becomes evident that the world and Montclair move. 

After the completion of the new school building, 



Reminiscences of Montclair 51 

the Church Street School propert}' was sold to the 
Presbyterian Society, this being the second purchase 
from the School District and continuing a seeming af- 
finity between Church and School as we found it with 
the early settlers. The building which stood about 
where the present chapel stands was used by the 
church as a lecture room for a number of years. 

Post Office 

Mention has been made of Nathaniel H. Baldwin, 
the first postmaster of the town. His appointment 
was made during the administration of President 
Jackson, 1830. A high lead-colored desk with pigeon- 
holes for each letter of the alphabet represented the 
office kept in a side room in Capt. Munn's Tavern. 
The rate of postage was graduated by the distance the 
letter travelled and the postage was paid on its receipt. 
I remember well my first letter from this office and 
the cost, twenty-five cents, the letter having been 
mailed at Baton Rouge, La., by my brother. In 1841. 
Calvin S. Baldwin succeeded N. H. Baldwin and the 
post-office desk was moved to its new quarters in the 
tailor shop of Mr. Baldwin, which was the westerly 
part of the frame Ijuilding on Bloomfield Avenue near 
the corner of North Fullerton Avenue. The part used 
for tailor shop and post-office was recently torn down 
for the new Kern building. Mr. Baldwin lived in the 
part of the house still standing. He was also for many 
years the leader of the church choir. Succeeding post- 
masters were Amzi Ball. Esq., William Jacobus, John C. 
Doremus, C. P. Sandford and Georgfe A. Van Gieson. 



52 Reminiscences of Moniclair 

Physicians 

The earliest medical practitioner in the town in 
my memory was Dr. Joseph S. Dodd, father of ex- 
Vice-Chancellor Dodd, now living in Bloomfield. His 
residence is still standing opposite the Glen Ridge 
Schoolhouse at the corner of Bloomfield and Ridge- 
wood Avenues. His practice covered the entire town- 
ship, which was Bloomfield and Montclair. His genial 
face and his carriage as he drove about the town were 
familiar to us all. In his duties he had to meet all 
the ailments in this large field of practice. Bleeding, 
much in vogue at the time, and tooth pulling were a 
part of his duties. The latter service I well remem- 
ber from experience. The dental instrument in use, 
the turnkey, is little known in these days. First the 
gum was cut loose about the tooth, then the instru- 
ment was hooked on to the tooth, the jawbone serving 
as a fulcrum and a strong turn with the handle was 
sure to result in something giving way. I begged as 
hard as I could with the big iron in my mouth, "Don't 
pull it. Doctor," but he know his business and turned 
on till the tooth came with a sensation that made me 
feel either my jawbone or head was gone. But there 
was the tooth that had given me so much pain in 
the claw of the turnkey, and I felt better after seeing 
it. In spite of such hurts and the bitter allopathic 
doses, we all loved the kindly doctor. As a profes- 
sional man he was consulted on all matters of im- 
portance in the town. A candidate for teacher in the 
school must pass his scholarly examination before his 
appointment. Dr. Dodd was most highly esteemed. 



Reminiscences ofMontclair 53 

not only as a medical practitioner but as a ge:iial 
Christian gentleman. He was succeeded in his practice 
by Dr. Joseph A. Davis, who also lived in Bloomfield. 
His original home was in the stone house that stands 
opposite the Baptist Church. He seemed to be the 
counterpart of his predecessor and was received as 
the family physician and general counsellor with the 
full confidence that was given to good Dr. Dodd. 

One other physician well known and esteemed was 
Dr. Isaac D. Dodd. He married a daughter of Mr. 
Israel Crane and resided in Bloomfiield, at the corner 
of Broad Street and Park Avenue, the old home still 
occupied by his daughter. Physically he was large 
and well proportioned and designated as the "big doc- 
tor." He was regarded as advanced in medical knowl- 
edge and recognized as the consulting physician. 

Besides the regular doctor in the early days there 
were as now, quacks and gullible people. I recall one, 
an Indian doctor, who came to town with infallible 
remedies for all ailments, and it was surprising how 
many sick people turned np. Diagnoses of ailments 
were made to the satisfaction of credulous patients, 
and the hopeful were soon in the woods to find the 
herb and root prescriptions. The results I do not 
know, but think they must have been harmless. One 
special case was that of a child who was treated for 
what he termed King's Evil. In strict accord with the 
Indian doctor's direction, the little girl, wrapped in 
a woolen blanket, was taken each morning to a rain- 
water hogshead and immersed in the cold water. In 
spite of it she still lives, nearly eighty years old. 

Some vears later a good ladv in town who had 



54 Reminiscences of Montclair 

been ill for some time, was besieged by her many 
friends with various recipes and "sure cure" doctors. 
One friend was very persistent that she should try 
a clairvoyant in spite of her protestations that she had 
no faith in that medical school and further that she 
was not able to call on her in Newark, but this diffi- 
culty was easily met by sending a lock of the patient's 
hair. A full diagnosis of the disease with prescription 
was soon returned on the payment of one dollar, 
when the wise lady remarked to her family, "This may 
be all right, but I cut the hair from my wig." 

We had tramps in the early days, too, but not of 
the "Weary Willie" order. I recall but two, Josh 
Flinn and Polly Range. Their walks were peri- 
odical through the town. Flinn followed the Orange 
and Valley Roads and Polly the Turnpike on 
through Caldwell, each carrying his or her belongings. 
Miss Range had hers packed in a coarse sack which she 
carried on her back with her hands clasped across 
it. She suffered a good deal of annoyance from the 
boys as she went through the town, but with strong 
language and threats kept them ofif. Her behavior 
was orderly and she was usually entertained over 
night by kindly disposed farmer families. Josh Flinn 
was not as well disposed, and while some families 
would help him to a square meal, which was said to 
be no small undertaking, others sent him from their 
doors with the threat of the broomstick. Josh had 
some ideas of turning an honest penny by his medical 
knowledge, and made a square deal with a deaf 
bachelor uncle of mine to cure his deafness. The 
compensation was a good drink of cider. The pre- 



Reminiscences of M o n t c I a i r 55 

scription was: "Wet a little nigger wool and keep it in 
the ears." He got his cider all right, but I do not 
know whether the old gentleman tried the prescrip- 
tion. I do know that he died nearly totally deaf in his 
ninetieth year. 

As the town began to show some development, Dr. 
John J. H. Love, a young man not long out of the 
medical school, came to look over the field with 
reference to settling here. He called to ask my ad- 
vice. I replied, "I hardly know how to advise you. 
The town is not large and the people are strongly 
wedded to Dr. Davis, who has the general practice 
of the town. The only encouragement is in the 
growth of the town from a contemplated railroad con- 
necting us with New York." With full confidence in 
himself and sound forethought as to the future of the 
town, he concluded our interview as I felt in rather 
a blunt way (but better understood as we afterward 
knew him) by saying, "Well, I'm coming." He was 
soon settled in an oflftce centrally located. The antici- 
pated railroad was completed and with it the town 
development began, and the young doctor soon found 
himself with a satisfactory and growing practice. 
He was soon identified with every public interest of the 
town, and was called upon as a general adviser, also 
to deliver the Fourth of July orations, etc., etc. He 
perhaps did more in the interest of public education 
for Montclair than any other man of his generation. 

As an expression of the esteem in which he was 
held by his fellow townsmen, they united in tendering 
him a public dinner on the fortieth anniversary of his 
coming to Montclair, which was given April i6th. 1895, 



56 Reminiscences of Montclatr 

in Montclair Club Hall. One hundred and seventy-six 
warm friends sat with him at the table, among them 
several prominent gentlemen and personal friends. 
Among the guests from out of town were Dr. George 
F. Shrady, editor of the Medical Record, of New York, 
and General Grant's physician; and Hon. Franklin 
Murphy, of Newark, an army associate who afterward 
became Governor of the State. Mr. John H, Wilson, 
Chairman of the Town Council, presided. Besides him 
and the two gentlemen above named, five others of his 
fellow townsmen made addresses, all highly compli- 
mentary to the man in whose honor we had met, and it 
was truly a "Love Feast," a title under which a de- 
scriptive account of the dinner is preserved in book 
form. 

Not satisfied to be left out of the expression made 
by the gentlemen of the town, the ladies, in earnest 
desire to show their esteem for Dr. Love, arranged 
with Mr. Lawrence C. Earl, one of our town artists, 
to paint his portrait. It was hung in the assembly 
room of the High School building and was unveiled 
June 2ist, 1895, the closing day of the school year, 
in the presence of a large and highly pleased audience. 
Mr. Wilson again presided and in part said: "The 
picture was not given because we could add in any 
way to the appreciation and esteem in which the doc- 
tor is held. No portrait is needed, for there hangs 
upon the walls of memory another that time cannot 
efface, but we desire that the work of Dr. Love which 
will stand always, may be continued in the minds of 
those yet to come, and this is a permanent testimonial 




DR. lOllN r. H. LOVK 



Reminiscences of Montclair 57 

which shall show the future generations the Father of 
the Public School system in Montclair." 

Dr. Love, with his usual activity and interest in 
every public matter of the town, continued with us 
about two years longer, when at an early hour in the 
morning of July 30th, 1897, after a successful opera- 
tion for a poor woman, he fell to the floor and de- 
parted this life with his hands still covered with the 
blood of his final service. His funeral was held in 
the Congregational Church, the largest audience room 
in town and which failed to accommodate the many 
friends who gathered to express their sincere sorrow. 
A quotation from the funeral address of his pastor, 
Dr. Orville Reed, expresses the ardent love of his 
townspeople: "The whole community mourns; the 
flags are at half mast; the streets silent; the places 
of business closed; this great congregation represent- 
ing every walk in life, every faith, every political 
adherence, gathered here with heavy hearts and moist- 
ened cheeks; these things show what has happened in 
Montclair." 

The contrast between medical facilities at the time 
of Dr. Love's coming to Montclair and the present 
number of doctors practicing in town, together with 
our commodious Mountainside Hospital with all the 
advanced and modern appliances for the relief of the 
sick, is very marked and strong evidence that the 
medical profession has kept pace with the growth of 
the town in its population, buildings, business, schools 
and taxes. 

Closely akin to the subject of doctors "then and 
now" is the care of the sick, the dead, the funeral and 



58 Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 

burial. In the early days professional nurses were un- 
known. In case of severe illness the kindly neighbors 
would come to the relief of the family and minister to 
the patient during the night. The precautionary measures 
now taken in contagious diseases (excepting small- 
pox) were not considered necessary and the result was 
the disease would generally run through the entire 
family and sometimes with sad results. Nearly every 
family was known to every other and with death came 
general sorrow and sincere sympathy. There was no 
undertaker but the sexton, who was also the grave 
digger, but there was some one or more experienced 
neighbors who would lay out the dead and assist in 
preparing for the funeral. The regulation burial dress 
was called the shroud, delicately made of thin white 
material which was the volunteer work of some one 
of the lady friends. Two or more of the young peo- 
ple were called as watchers for the nights before the 
body was taken from the house. The modern silver- 
mounted casket was not in use, but instead was the 
plain, old-time cofifin made by the town carpenter, usu- 
ally of hard wood and stained red, resembling mahog- 
any. I well remember watching with reverent interest 
the mechanic finishing the coffin of Major Nathaniel 
Crane in 1833. Its Hd was lined with black velvet, taste- 
fully trimmed with gimp and fastened with brass tacks, 
and the inside delicately finished with plaited muslin, 
giving a tasteful appearance to the interior. The cost 
was less than fifteen dollars, which was the bulk of the 
funeral expense. The service, usually held at the 
residence of the deceased, was marked by one cus- 
tom that I never understood. The mirror was cov- 



R e m t n I s c e 77 c e s of M o n t c I a i r 59 

ered or the glass turned to the wall. The minister or 
ministers conducting the service usually wore a linen 
scarf or scarves provided by the family, regularly folded 
and the ends tied together with heavy black ribbon, and 
hung over the right shoulder, extending across the body 
to the left side reaching near the ground and having a 
black silk bow fastened on the shoulder. A regular ser- 
mon was preached from a chosen text, several hynms 
were sung, and the old tune "China'' from its frequent 
use is fixed in my memory as a funeral tune. The body 
was carried to the grave in the family wagon, or one 
loaned by a neighbor, and the cofifin covered with a bed- 
spread. 

In looking over the long stretch of years through 
childhood, youth and full manhood, nearly all spent 
in Montclair, on to the present, with each period of 
life in view, there looms up a long line of familiar 
faces, with memories of interesting incidents and en- 
dearing associations with those with whom I have 
mingled in social, religious, civil and political life. 
With some, honest contentions ; with others, full 
sympathy and harmony; but now all are recalled with 
kindly memories. To enumerate these departed ones 
(which would outnumber my living acquaintances), 
with my pleasant recollections of each, would more 
that fill a book. They have joined the host whom 
no man can number. With nearly all gone who were 
born in Montclair near my time and many more of 
later date and tender association, it is a real comfort 
in such feelings of loneliness to believe Him who 
claimed to be the Truth when he said, "I am the 
resurrection and the life, he that believeth on Me. 



6o Reminiscences of Montclair 

though he die yet shall he live," and in support of 
the statement called Lazarus, who had been dead 
four days back to life. 

In this paper I have said little of those who came 
later to Montclair and have done so much towards its 
growth in every respect. The History of Montclair, 
published in 1894, gives a record of many of these gen- 
tlemen and the valuable service they had rendered the 
town up to the time when it was issued, and the valued 
citizens who have come since are too fresh in our 
knowledge to be called historical. 

Town Development 

It was at the completion of the Newark and Bloom- 
field Railroad that the real development of Montclair 
commenced. The first train was run in June, 1856. 
For several years passengers left the train at Newark 
and waited for a Morris and Essex through train for 
New York. Later a continuous train to New York 
was supplied, a great accommodation to commuters. 
The completion of the Greenwood Lake Railroad 
through Montclair with its competition very much 
enchanced our facilities for travel, reduced passenger 
and freight rates, and has changed Upper Montclair 
from a farming community to its present proportions. 

In i860 the name of our portion of the town was 
changed from West Bloomfield to Montclair, and in 
1868, by Act of State Legislature, we were set off from 
Bloomfield Township. With the election of Town offi- 
cers the organization was effected and we became an in- 
dependent township. With the conveniences of the two 



Reminiscences of Montclair 6l 

railroads connecting with New York, the town began a 
phenomenal growth, bringing to us an inflow of new 
citizens which has added largely to the material growth 
and beauty of the town. The fine churches, public school 
buildings, public library, Young Men's Christian Asso- 
ciation building and clubhouse are evidences of what 
these new-comers have done for the religious, moral, 
social and educational advancement of the town, so 
that wherever we may be, whether in our own or 
foreign country, we are proud to say our home is in 
Montclair. 

I take the following items from private memoran- 
da: Electric connection was made with the town 
April 14th, 1896, and the light turned on at five 
o'clock P. M. The first electric street car was run 
through Montclair July 24th, 1898. So that in my 
memory we have advanced from the tallow candle 
through the periods of sperm oil, kerosene and 
gas to the electric light ; from the two stages a day 
between here and Newark to thirty well filled trains 
from New York on the D., L. & W. R. R. and 
twenty-one on the Erie R. R., beside the trolley and 
automobile. 

A Wider Outlook 

In a broader outlook of memory during the years 
of my time it is interesting to note the advance in 
every sphere of life, domestic, industrial, intellectual, 
scientific and religious. The changes in domestic life, 
to which some reference has already been made, are 
specially marked in light and fuel. Coal had been 



62 Reminiscences of Montclair 

discovered as an article of fuel in the early part of 
the last century, but wood was the only material in use 
in my early memory. It was burned in the great fire- 
place with a big- back-log and wood piled in front, 
making a warm and bright home-room for the house- 
hold during the long winter evenings as the family 
gathered about the hearthstone. Well I remember 
this family association in the old grandfather home. 
In the kitchen was the great crane stretched across 
the fire-place. On this was hung the family dinner pot 
from which was served the savory meals. Every 
family had its wood-pile with a bountiful supply cut for 
the long winter use. Fire wood was very much a 
matter of merchandise and was carted in large quan- 
tities to and through the town on its way to Newark. 
Many of these loads of hickory and oak wood have 
I measured and computed the value of in early busi- 
ness life, for the accommodation of the farmers. All 
this gradually changed with the advent of coal, which 
in the early time came to us in the natural lump as it 
was taken from the mine. It was my office, as the 
small boy of the family, to break it into suitable size 
for the stove. A few tons at first were enough to 
supplement the wood fires. Just to note the change 
in its extensive and growing use, the reported output 
of bituminous coal for 1906 was 342,874,867 tons. 

In the primitive time of wood fires it was very im- 
portant with every family that live coals should be 
well covered with ashes over night and so be kept 
alive to start the new fire in the morning. It was 
not an uncommon event to send to the neighbors 
for a few live coals with which to start the family 



Reminiscences of M o nt c I a i r 63 

fire. This care to perpetuate the live coals of course 
antedates the present convenience of friction matches, 
instead of which the family were generally supplied 
with tinder box, steel and flint. The spark from 
the flint, produced by a sudden strike on the steel, 
falling on the tinder would ignite it, then a brimstone 
match would be lighted from the burning tinder. The 
first advance from these little shaving brimstone 
matches was the new invention of a box, with small 
stick matches at one end and a bottle of acid in the 
other end. These matches had a preparation on one 
end which, when dipped into the acid, would ignite. 
This was soon followed by a match that would ignite 
by scratching it on any hard substance and was called 
the Lucifer match. When the price was reduced to 
two cents a box, an eccentric fellow in the old store 
punning on its name said, "Oh Lucifer! how thou hast 
fallen; only two cents a box," 

The almost universal article for light was the tal- 
low candle, or tallow dip. Often have I helped my 
mother dip the wicks into the pot of melted tallow 
till they were sufficiently increased in size to fit the 
candlestick. After all our puns on the days of candle 
light, they still have their place in domestic use. 
Following and in general use was sperm oil, which 
was almost entirely in use for street lights in New 
York in my earliest memory of the city. Then came 
camphine, used mainly for a permanent light requir- 
ing a glass chimney for draft. At the same time a 
composition of camphine and alcohol, called burning 
fluid, was in general use as a portable light. It fur- 
nished a clean and pleasant material for the purpose, 



64 Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 

but was so inflammable that its use was attended with 
many serious disasters. Then came the kerosene oil 
which almost spontaneously sprang from great under- 
ground reservoirs in apparently inexhaustible supply. 
Notwithstanding that much has been said and written 
of dark deeds in its production, it certainly has given 
more artificial light to the world at a low cost than 
any article preceding it, and supplementing it we now 
have the full blaze of gas and electricity. 

Almost as marked is the advance in the water sup- 
ply of New York. In my memory, excepting a small 
downtown district supplied through wooden pipes from 
a reservoir located between Prince and White Streets 
(New York History), the water for family use was 
from pumps located on the streets, and in some cases 
it had to be carried a block or more. The great fire of 
1835 was the event that awoke New York to its need, 
resulting in the great Croton Water plant, which was 
so far completed in 1842 that the water was turned 
on July 4th, attended with an immense civic and 
military parade in which President John Tyler was a 
conspicuous figure, to me particularly interesting as 
my first sight of a real live President of the United 
States. 

Another development within my memory is photog- 
raphy, originating in Paris. Pictures were first taken 
on a highly polished metal plate and called daguerreo- 
types, framed in a closed case of handsome design at a 
cost of about five dollars, and in my early experience, 
furnished a pleasant article of exchange for lovers. It 
has now become a great industry throughout the 
world and so common in use that we are liable to 



Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 65 

be snapped at any time and place, and our homes 
are flooded with fine and accurate pictures of friends 
and scenery at very little cost. 

A recent and more valuable advance in the art is its 
aid in the study of astronomy. So minute are the 
calculations in the movements of the heavenly bodies 
and so accurate the advanced art of mechanism, that 
an authoritative astronomer recently told us that the 
machinery attached to the large telescope would ac- 
curately guide the glass in following any particular 
part of the stellar world on which the glass was fixed 
throughout the night, and thus give a continuous 
and accurate exposure, enabhng the astronomer to 
secure pictures of worlds in infinite space that the 
strongest glass had failed to show. 

Growth of Country and Facilities 
for Travel 

As a child I was told of two brothers of my father 
who had emigrated to the far West with teams and 
canvas-covered wagons, and had located on farms in 
Seneca County, New York. It was regarded very 
much as a final family parting. They made but one 
visit E^st afterwards and that was many years later. 
One of our schoolboy friends, on invitation of the 
teacher, Mr. Holt, visited Boston. On his return from 
such a trip he w-as lionized by the boys who were 
eager to know all about the great city. Bunker Hill 
and the great Mastodon Skeleton in the Boston 
Museum, of which we had wonderingly studied and 
which we had seen pictured in our school books. 



66 Reminiscences of Montclair 

To New York and back was a good day's trip, 
while now we run down for an evening. To Europe 
and back was a more distinguished event than three 
times around the world at the present day. 

Before our present railroad system across the 
country the Pacific Coast was reached by steamer 
around Cape Horn or via Panama, Those who 
suffered the delay and discomforts in their haste to 
reach the gold fields of California, newly discovered 
in 1849, will best understand the advantage of the 
present railroad facilities. 

The undertaking of the Government in construct- 
ing the great Panama Canal is an advance in the 
interest of the world's commerce that will be re- 
garded as the historic event of the present century. 

A preserved letter from my brother at Walla 
Walla, Washington Territory, dated October 7th, 186 1, 
states that after a very good trip of four months 
from Omaha with ox teams, in which they had lost 
no stock, they were the first wagoners across the 
country from the States to the frontiers of Oregon and 
Washington. He is now living in Portland, Oregon, 
a city of 90,426 inhabitants as per census of 1900, only 
thirty-nine years later than his arrival. Now this 
entire sweep of country which was so largely wilder- 
ness less than a half century ago is covered with 
great cities, immense agricultural enterprises largely 
furnishing the world with its grain and fruits; and 
with immense flouring mills giving to the world its 
line production. One single mill located in Minne- 
apolis has a capacity of fifteen thousand barrels of 
flour daily. Their entire plant of five mills is able to 



Reminiscences of Montclair 67 

furnish thirt3'-five thousand barrels daily. This busi- 
ness has grown to its present proportion in about 
one-third of a century, and this is but one of the 
many great flouring mills in this vast country. Be 
sides these are its numerous and large mechanical 
industries giving distinction to nearly every prominent 
locality on the continent, all so singularly advantaged 
by the great railroad systems traversing in so many 
lines the entire country, transporting us across the 
continent in less than five days, as contrasted with 
the many months of wagon travel fifty years ago. 
These are advances within a single memory that 
almost stagger us. 

In the early days, still in memory with many, al- 
most all the general merchandise such as hardware, 
cotton and woolen clothes, spool cotton, etc., (silk 
entirely), were imported. The great resources of the 
country in its various metals, gold, silver, copper and 
iron, together with its vast agricultural products, par- 
ticularly cotton, have developed a wealth of raw 
material which necessitate manufacturing facilities 
to bring it into practical use and profit. Mill 
interests and machinery have so advanced under 
native genius and governmental protection to 
home industries that the business of the country 
has entirely changed in this respect from a for- 
eign supply to a large exporting business, and very 
much to our advantage in cost, particularly in iron. 
With our vast resources of supply and marvelous ma- 
chinery, plants are furnishing us manufactured goods at 
a cost of about one-quarter the early importation prices. 
French calico prints under importation prices were fifty 



68 Reminiscences of Mont cl air 

to sixty cents per yard; English prints were in the 
market at a less rate. But now and for years past 
the immense print works of Fall River, Mass., with 
many others in the country, are furnishing us with 
their fine fabrics at from six to ten cents per yard. 
As per statistics of the U. S. Government Department 
of Commerce for the year ending June 30th, 1907, the 
exports from the United States were $1,853,718,034, 
exceeding our imports for the same time $446,429,653. 
Gov. Fort, in a recent address, stated that $35,000,000 
of capital was invested in the silk industry in our State. 
The great cotton factories and print works of New 
England, and later developments of these industries in 
the Southern States, the largely capitalized steel works 
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and many other large 
manufacturing interests throughout the country with 
their producing powers, are in evidence as to the 
material advance of this vast country in a single 
memory. A marked example is the Baldwin Loco- 
motive Works of Philadelphia. Starting in a small 
alleyway near Walnut Street in 183 1, they are now 
occupying a plant in the heart of the city covering six- 
teen acres, and one hundred and eighty-four acres at 
Eddyston. During the first thirty years their output 
was one thousand locomotives, thirty-three and one- 
third per year. Their product for the year 1906 was 
two thousand six hundred and sixty-six (2,666). 
In addition to the vast amount of labor-saving ma- 
chinery in use, they employ nineteen thousand (19,000) 
men as per their last statement. Besides their con- 
tracts with the various railroads of this country, they 
are exporting locomotives to many foreign govern- 





I'.A TTL ICSl 1 1 r i\ EBUASKA 



Reminiscences of Montclair 69 

merits. They furnished the Imperial Government of 
Japan one hundred and fifty locomotives in 1905. 

One instance of local interest in mechanical genius 
and push : A family of young men still known to many 
of our residents — Moran Brothers — who had the 
advantage of our public schools, emigrated to the 
Pacific Coast and located at Seattle, where they re- 
covered sullficient land, about eight city blocks from 
the water front, and established a shipbuilding plant 
which has grown in size and importance second to 
none in the United States and of great value to the 
new city, to the Pacific Coast, and to the nation. 
Much of the iron work used in rebuilding the city after 
the great fire of 1889 was from their works. They 
shared largely in the construction of the machinery 
for the fine naval dry dock on Puget Sound; I beHeve 
the largest on the Pacific Coast. One of their enter- 
prises was the building of eighteen strong steamers for 
the gold mine operators in Northern Alaska, the first 
that had been able to navigate with safety those 
rough waters. A later product of their yards was the 
Government battleship "Nebraska," for which the con- 
tract consideration was nearly four millions of dollars. 
They have since sold their plant for $3,000,000 and 
are still young men. One of them, Mr. Robert Moran, 
has served Seattle twice as Mayor. He has now re- 
tired from business and located on Orcas Island, one 
of the San Juan group, on a four thousand acre 
plot with salt water harbor, mountain lakes, deer pre- 
serve and all that nature could give for an enjoyable 
retired life. 

The picture of this 15,000 ton first-class battleship 



70 Reminiscences of M ont cl air 

"Nebraska" was taken when the ship was running 
the official trial, making approximately 195^ nautical 
miles per hour. 

Educational Advances 

The advance in facilities for popular education and 
scientific study throughout the country during the 
period in review is in no way behind the material. It 
took time and effort to educate the average taxpayer 
to free public schools. At a public meeting called 
to discuss the subject that I remember in my early 
days, an old gentleman voiced the opposition: "I 
believe in education and have given my children its 
advantages, and now to be assessed to educate other's 
children does not seem just." That we are far away 
from this sentiment in Montclair, and throughout 
the country, visible facts are in evidence. One of the 
glories of the country is the vast sums of money from 
taxation and private sources expended in furnishing 
opportunities free to all classes for a good education. 
The tabulated list of universities, colleges and 
schools of technology in the United States, number- 
ing 578, is an interesting study. A group of ten of 
the most familiar, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, 
Columbia, and Cornell, represent a property 
valuation of $187,156,373, with 35,430 students; 
volumes in libraries, 3,474,641. There are others 
in the list of the 578 that exceed in number 
of students and property value several of the ten 
referred to. Not included in this list is the Carnegie 
Institute at Washington, D. C, founded to promote 



Reminiscences of Montclair 71 

original research, the State Normal Schools, and the 
many educational institutions in large cities, like 
Cooper Institute, MetropoHtan Museum of Art, the 
Museum of Natural History, the numerous large 
public Hbraries furnishing opportunities free for classi- 
cal education and scientific research. The aggregate 
shows a power for education of hopeful promise for 
the future of the country. 

Reference has been made to the local advance in 
the interest of public education from the old stone 
schoolhouse on the green with its limited facilities 
to the present large and commodious buildings, thor- 
oughly furnished in all branches from kindergarten to 
academic. It may be an overstrained illustration of 
the general advance of public education throughout 
the country, but wherever we travel, particularly in 
the far West, the one thing that looms up in town 
and city is the fine public school building. 

The old Kings College (called Columbia after the 
Revolutionary War) as I remember it standing on 
College Place near Murray Street, a plain stone 
building with fair green campus and good outlook 
over the North River, where Alexander Hamilton, 
John Jay and many other leading patriots were edu- 
cated, presented a wide contrast to the present Colum- 
bia University to which it has grown, with its magnifi- 
cent buildings. Its up-to-date apparatus for scientific 
study, a library of 450,000 volumes. 604 instructors and 
5,195 students is a great advance within a single mem- 
ory of this one institution, and yet in looking over the 
many universities and colleges of high order and equip- 
ment, scattered all over the country, many of them 



72 Reminiscences of Mont cl air 

located in States only one-third the age of this college, 
it may fairly be regarded as not a forced exponent of 
the increase and development of colleges in the United 
States. 

In addition to the above is the Press with its 
enormous issue in our own country. As to books, 
a quotation from Ecclesiastes fits, "Of making many 
books, there is no end." The Government Bureau 
of Statistics in its report ending June 30th, 1907, gives 
the money value of books exported as $5,813,107. The 
daily newspaper that gives us yesterday's news of the 
world before breakfast, and the great list of magazines 
and periodicals with pictorial illustrations (many of 
which in earlier days would have graced our parlor 
walls) have a mighty educational poAver, and if this 
power were always as good as it is mighty, it would be 
an inestimable boon for the world. 

The editor of the Boston Globe recently furnished 
some statistics on the growth of American journalism: 
"In 1810 the total of all kinds of newspapers was 366. 
The latest available figures show that in 1907 there 
•were 21,535 newspapers, reviews and such. This al- 
most fabulous increase in the number of papers pub- 
lished has been accompanied by a still greater increase 
in the number of copies issued by each paper. Tlie 
combined circulation of the press of the United States 
for 1907 could not have been less than ten billions 
of copies." These figures are startling as I recall 
the little package of a half dozen daily papers that 
used to be left by the evening stage from Newark at 
my father's store to be called for by the few sub- 
scribers of the town. The Newark Sentinel of Freedom, 



Reminiscences of M ont cl ai r 73 

a weekly, had a more extended circulation through the 
farming district. 

This is but a brief record of educational facilities; and 
beyond this is the large amount of money that is still 
being gratuitously advanced to further the opportuni- 
ties for learning. One of the daily papers recently 
stated that "the aggregate of Andrew Carnegie's g^fts 
for this one purpose during the course of years was 
$111,000,000." Such facilities at the service of the 
inquiring mind of the average American give a healthy 
outlook for an enlightened nation. 

Moral and Religious Growth 

That the moral and Christian interests of the 
country and world are keeping pace with the advanc- 
ing material and educational activities is an interest- 
ing fact as results indicate, viz.: The abolition of 
duelling which was once popularly considered the proper 
method of adjusting questions of personal honor; 
the almost entire extermination of the lottery, which 
formerly was so far sanctioned as to be used to raise 
funds to build churches, together with the growing 
public sentiment against all forms of gambling; the 
abolition of human slavery from the entire world; the 
popular temperance sentiment as compared with the 
days when liquor was in common use in the harvest field 
and on all public occasions, and on the family sideboard 
when it was considered common courtesy to treat 
guests, particularly the minister on his pastoral calls; 
the growth in the spirit of public sympathy and the 
active efforts to relieve sufTering humanity, as appears in 



74 Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 

the great and finely equipped hospitals, asylums, re- 
formatories and the various institutions that Christian 
charity has provided for the sick and injured, the 
crippled, the blind, the deaf and dumb, the inebriate 
and the criminal; the organized plans for the poor, 
as the Fresh Air Fund for the relief of the children 
and mothers in congested city districts, and the self- 
denying social work for the uplifting of the less 
favored classes in the great cities, as the East Side 
Settlement Work. 

In this advancing line of cooperative Christian 
work may be mentioned the change from the early 
sectarian sentiment to the broad catholicity and spirit 
of Christian brotherhood so prevalent throughout the 
Church to-day. In the same line and spirit is the 
world's movement for universal peace and the ending 
of bloody warfare through plans of manly arbitration. 
This partial list of the world's great Christian chari- 
ties seems in full accord with the prophetic Messianic 
words of Isaiah, "Sent to bind up the broken-hearted," 
and the heralding of the Angelic host, "On earth peace 
among men." 

In ordinary reasoning there seems no other ex- 
planation of such results and the world-wide reach- 
ing out of Christian charity, than the life teachings, 
mighty works, suffering, death, resurrection and ascen- 
sion of the one personality Jesus Christ who said, 
"I, if I be lifted up from' the earth, will draw all men 
unto Myself." We do not find among the teeming 
millions of the Orient anything like this beneficence 
resulting from the teaching of Buddha, Confucius or 
Mahomet, which are ethical and of high moral char- 



Reminiscences of M ontcl a i r 75 

acter, but in practice these ameliorating conditions 
of charity and standard of morals do not prevail. On 
the other hand the united testimony of credible men 
who have visited, and many who have spent years of 
close study in those countries, disclose practices in 
social life and rehgious customs that are superstitious 
and degrading. So hopeless is the outlook for the wel- 
fare of these vastly populous countries for their pres- 
ent or future life, that Christendom has been stirred to 
give them the teachings of the Bible, which have pro- 
duced such beneficent results in all lands where they 
have been taught and of which the period in review 
has seen a marvelous growth in non-Christian lands. 
The magnitude of the undertaking of a Christian 
Mission for these milHons of people, some of whom 
close their gates to all foreign ingress, led many in 
the Church to regard the purpose with disfavor, and 
the heroic faith and zeal with which such early mis- 
sionaries as Judson, Cary, Martyn, Morison, Duff, 
Paton, Moffat and Livingston were inspired was needed 
for the undertaking. 

The transformation in these countries to the stu- 
dent of Christian Missions of to-day is amazing. 
While there is no pretense that the millennium is 
reached, either in Christian or heathen countries, a 
great advance has been made. The one obstacle that 
seemed insurmountable in the memory of many — the 
exclusion of all foreigners — is now entirely removed, 
and with this has appeared a growing interest in 
political and religious thought and an open mind 
and heart for western education and religion, result- 
ing in the establishment of large numbers of mis- 



76 Reminiscences of Montclair 

sionary stations in these countries, with many 
adherents to the Christian faith, including a large 
number from the higher classes, with churches, 
schools, universities, colleges, medical schools, hospitals, 
asylums, etc. A statistical report of the Protestant 
Missionary Societies of the world for the year 1907, 
furnished by Rev. D. L. Leonard, D.D., gives the fol- 
lowing aggregate of the American churches, viz. : 

The number of Missionaries 5>909 

Number of Native Ministers and lay- 
workers 26,760 

Number of Schools 8,855 

Number of Stations 12,817 

Number of Scholars 344,213 

Amount of Home Income for the work. . . . $9,458,633 

For Christendom, he reports : 

Mission Stations and out-Stations 40.535 

Total Number of Missionaries 18,499 

Total Number of Native Helpers 95.876 

Total Number of Full Church Membership. 1,816,450 
Funds from Christian Churches $22,459,680 

One of the strongest educational influences, par- 
ticularly in China, is the Medical Missionary whose 
skill in treating disease is recognized by the com- 
mon people as superior to the ridiculous concoctions 
of native medical men who are regarded mainly as 
fakirs. 

The schools and institutions for higher learning are 
a strong factor in disseminating Western education 
and Christian knowledge, and have awakened a wide 
interest in Eastern nations. Robert College of Con- 
stantinople, in which our townsman, Dr. Orville Reed, 



Reminiscences of Mantel air 77 

was tutor for three years, is sending students of high 
grade to fill positions of influence in the empire. 

Foreman Christian College at Lahore, India, has 
a student enroUment of 394, of whom 198 are Hindus 
and 130 Mohammedans. Another Missionary College of 
India is located at Allahabad, and has 104 students, in 
which Carl Thompson, one of our town boys, is teacher, 

Peking is the educational and political center of 
China, and affords access to every part of the Empire. 
Here is located the Imperial University of which Rev. 
W. A. P. Martin was the head, whom the people of 
Montclair will remember from his lecture on the 
Boxer outbreak before the Outlook Club. Miss Alice 
Carter of our town has been located at this station 
for some years. She is still doing missionary work there 
with her husband, the Rev. William H. Gleysteen, to 
whom she was recently married. 

The Shantung Protestant University is mentioned 
as one of the most conspicuous institutions of learn- 
ing in the far East. One hundred and twenty-eight 
students were matriculated in the college last year. 
Mr. Robert E. Speer, who has visited and made a 
close study of missions in China, says this institution 
has led and still leads the higher education of the 
whole Empire. Its students have gone out into the 
provinces as Christian ministers, evangelists, teachers, 
government officials and into commercial life. 

The following comment was made in a recent is- 
sue of the New York Sun in connection with the 
decease of Morris K. Jesup, who had helped so largely 
to create and sustain the English-speaking university 
at Beirut, Syria. It mentions as its founder and first 



78 Reminiscences of M nt cl a i r 

President, the Rev, Daniel Bliss, D.D., and his son 
and successor, Rev. Howard S. Bliss, D.D., who was 
the esteemed pastor of the Christian Union Congre- 
gational Church of Upper Montclair: "The institution 
is a thoroughly organized and a perfectly crystallized 
university with a faculty of fifty-eight accomplished 
and eminent men and eight hundred and seventy- 
eight students from all parts of the Turkish Empire, 
from the Greek Islands, from Egypt, from Sudan, 
from Persia, from India and the very heart of Arabia, 
pursuing both academic and professional studies under 
physical and intellectual conditions precisely similar 
to those obtained in any American college of equiva- 
lent importance. The strictest Mussulman, the most 
orthodox Jew, the fastidious Hindu are found to- 
gether in the College Library helping each other 
in the use of reference books, or in the football field 
amicably and even fraternally commingling- in the 
fiercest rushes. How can you exaggerate its interest 
as a fact or overestimate its significance as a factor 
in the making of the future history of the New East?" 

The Mission Press in Shanghai is an ally and 
powerful agency for good throughout the Empire. 
It is spoken of as the most important mission press 
in the world. Connected with it are a type foundry, 
electrotype and stereotype rooms and bindery. 

Its reported output for the year ending June 30th, 
1907, of Chinese works. Scriptures, commentaries, 
hymn books, works on Christianity, text-books for 
schools and colleges, Scripture tracts, periodicals 
(weekly, monthly and quarterly) was 1,522,102, besides 
132,474 English and bilingual works. 



Reminiscences of Montclair 79 

A special feature has been the work done for 
medical missionaries. A second edition of Dr Cous- 
land s Physiology, also an illustrated edition of dis- 
eases of the skin and of the eye by Dr. J B Neal 

One hundred and thirty-one thousand of Dr Hal- 
lock s Chinese Almanacs were printed for the* 1007 
issue, giving notes on astronomy, geography, science, 
Chinese and world statistics, with information as to 
the Christian life. 

The potential influence back of all this aggressive 
Christian work is the one text-book, the Bible The 
agency through which it is published is the American 
Bible Society, located in New York, organized in 1816 
with the Hon. Elias Boudinot, of Burlington N T 
as Its first President, who was President of the Con- 
tinental Congress at the time of signing the treaty 
of peace with Great Britain. The increase of its pub- 
lications and circulation in nearly all languages and 
countries is a record of advance and activity that 
compares well with the other industries of the past 
century. The first annual issue was 6410; its last an- 
nual report gave its number 2,236,755 

The entire Bible has been translated and published 
in one hundred and one languages, but the actual cir- 
culation of the Scriptures and portions of them in 
foreign languages and dialects is 443 versions among 
nearly all the nationalities of the earth. The circula- 
tion m our new possessions, the Philippine Islands 
during seven years, was a total of 645.541 copies 

A written copy of the Bible in the thirteenth cen- 
tury cost £30, equal at that time to fifteen years of 
the money earnings of the laboring man. The Ameri- 



8o Reminiscences ofMontclair 

can Bible Society is now furnishing the entire Scrip- 
tures in English for seventeen cents. 

It is but just to state that a large part of the ad- 
vanced work of the Christian Church is represented in 
the colleges and literary institutions of our own coun- 
try. A very large proportion of the 578 universities 
and colleges have their origin in, and affinity with, the 
Christian Church, many of them denominational and 
many non-sectarian. 

That the Church is not abating in interest and ef- 
fort its beneficent work is indicated by a recent daily 
newspaper notice. The New York Tribune of January 
i8th, 1908, states some facts with comments on the 
annual report of several New York churches: "The 
pew rent respectively of St. Bartholomew's and St. 
Thomas' Churches were $44,000 and $55,000, and for 
hospitals, Summer homes and Fresh Air Work, to 
the maintenance of the vast social work on the East 
Side, and to mission work of all sorts all over the 
world, St. Bartholomew's congregation gave last year 
^271,000, or seven dollars to others to each dollar 
spent on themselves." Gifts for corresponding pur- 
poses in St. Thomas' Church were $214,764. After re- 
porting two other churches of the same denomination 
and mentioning their phenomenal growth in mem- 
bership, the comment is, "Nothing in the business 
world has grown faster, and the spiritual work of 
the parishes is stated to keep pace with the ma- 
terial." 

It is well understood that these are large and 
wealthy parishes, but the same magnanimous spirit 
of self-denial and zeal may be found in the report of 



Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 8i 

other denominations who, with the above, count 
themselves in Christian charity the one vmiversal 
Church with desire, in the spirit of its Divine Head, 
for the betterment of the entire world. 

At a recent meeting held in Philadelphia of about 
sixteen hundred representative men of the Presby- 
terian Church in a three days' conference, the ques- 
tion of its responsibility, under the present oppor- 
tunities for extending the knowledge of the Christian 
faith throughout the world, was seriously discussed 
with marked ability and earnestness; and the conclu- 
sion was reached to make strenuous effort to induce 
every member of its communion to share in the pur- 
pose with prayerful interest to increase its benevolence 
from its last annual amount of $1,276,748 contributed 
to $6,000,000. 

The reported increase of membership on profession 
of faith in this Church for the last evangelical year 
was 85,820. 

One of the most energetic and successful Christian 
efforts of the last fifty years has been the Young 
Men's Christian Association, which has spread through- 
out this country and the world. Its growth in mem- 
bership and good works is phenomenal. Originating 
in London in 1844, its influence reached this country 
in 1852, and in 1867 the first Association building was 
erected in Chicago and a few years later one in New 
York at a cost of $500,000. And now throughout the 
States and Canada fine Association buildings may be 
found in nearly every city and very many of the larger 
towns, which is also largely true of Christian Europe. 
In the far East, as Japan, China, India, Korea, Persia, 



82 Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 

South Africa, and in the Islands of the Sea and 
Mexico, are many well equipped Associations in suc- 
cessful operation. 

The last annual report for this country states the 
number of Association buildings to be 589 and the 
aggregate value $34,132,245. It does its work among 
the men engaged in the various commercial and large 
corporate industries, in the army and navy, colleges, 
railroad companies, mining camps, etc., furnishing 
every appliance for physical culture, healthful enter- 
tainments, baths, reading rooms, lectures and Bible 
studies, so that its members have every opportunity 
for sane amusement and physical development, with 
educational and moral training under Christian 
influence. 

The large corporations, particularly the railroad 
companies, so appreciate its moral efifect on their em- 
ployees that they have expressed it in words and 
deeds. They have set aside for the special use of 
railroad men fifty buildings, and beside these there 
are one hundred and twelve buildings owned and 
occupied by Railroad Associations, making the prop- 
erty value of this branch $2,039,200. A like interest 
is reported of large manufacturing concerns who fur- 
nish facilities and opportunity for noon hour meet- 
ings, etc. 

One of the most fruitful fields of the Association 
has been the army and navy, giving them the home 
comforts and Christian influence of which their duties 
deprive them, in buildings like the one at Brooklyn 
Navy Yard, the gift of Miss Gould, resulting in moral 
renovations and large money savings for the boys. So 



Reminiscences of M ont cl air 83 

far is its benign influence over men recognized by our 
General Government that it has expressed its ap- 
proval by the provision of four buildings placed at the 
disposal of the Association in their work among the 
many employees on the Panama Canal. Robert G. 
Goodman, one of our town boys, is doing active As- 
sociation work in this important field. 

Its efforts in the Far East have been received with 
marked favor, particularly in Japan, where large and 
kindly service was rendered the army during its war 
with Russia, and since then expressions of appreciation 
and thankfulness have been received from that nation's 
high officials. The growth of Association work has 
been attended with marked success in China, Korea 
and India and many other Eastern cities, where large 
Associations have organized, many with finely 
equipped buildings. Physical culture is a popular and 
promising feature with the Eastern people. Mr. John 
Mott, one of our town men, as a representative of the 
International Association of North America, in a re- 
cent tour of inspection and study of foreign Associa- 
tions received ovations from high government offi- 
cials that have never been accorded to a foreigner 
before. This organization is under the management 
of an International Committee of able men, of whom 
our neighbors, Mr. James M. Speers and Sec- 
retaries John R. Mott and Fred S. Goodman, are 
representatives, giving the entire work their constant 
care, holding frequent International Conventions, giv- 
ing close study to the varied interests of the Associa- 
tion, and holding, besides, periodical world conferences, 
including representatives from all parts of the world. 



84 Reminiscences ofMontclair 

Meetings of this kind have been held in London, Paris, 
Berlin, Stockholm, Geneva, etc., some of which have 
been attended by our local residents who speak of 
them as marked with great interest and promise for 
mankind. 

To have lived during a major part of these years, 
reviewed and witnessed the growth of the town in 
its many details from a population of about 500 to its 
present number, nearing 20,000, and during a period 
covering twenty Presidential terms, some of them 
attended with great political agitation and interest, 
including the exciting years of the Civil War with its 
sad details; and to have seen the country's and the 
world's marvelous growth in material, educational and 
moral development in a panorama the magnitude and 
interest of which are hard to realize; and going with 
it the benign influence and growing zeal of the 
Christian Church that is reaching out with its well 
organized system and advancing spirit of Church 
federation, seeming to portend the apocalyptic vision 
of St. John, "The Kingdom of this world is become 
the Kingdom of our Lord and his Christ," is a 
privilege for which to be profoundly grateful. 

The Civil War 

The present generation is so far away from the 
events of the Civil War that I conclude some personal 
recollections of Montclair's part in the fratricidal 
strife may be of interest. To trace what led up to 
the conflict would involve much of the country's his- 
tory. The particular grievance of the Southern States 



Reminiscences of Mont cl air 85 

was what they regarded as interference with their 
sacred state rights in the institution of human slavery, 
involving their personal property right in the owner- 
ship of men, women and children as slaves, which as- 
sumed active shape in firing on Fort Sumter April 
14th, 1861. 

The sole purpose of the General Government was 
the preservation of the Union. Slavery had been 
aboHshed by state legislation in all the North, thus 
voicing its attitude toward the system. The political 
position was that it should not be allowed to enter into 
new States admitted to the Union, but there was no 
purpose on the part of either political party to inter- 
fere with the right of the States to hold to and practice 
the system. At the same time there were many in 
the North, and men of prominence, who were very 
pronounced in opposition to slavery, in some cases 
to an extent that was regarded by the more con- 
servative as intemperate and even revolutionary. This 
doubtless had its exciting influence on the people of 
the slaving-holding States. On the other hand we had 
inflammatory deliverances from the South that were 
equally revolutionary. 

The two sides were designated by the similar 
terms "Hotheaded Abolitionists" and "Southern Fire- 
eaters." The purpose of the Government was the 
maintenance of the compact to which each State was 
pledged in its acceptance of the Constitution and its 
preamble, "We, the people of the United States." 

General Washington foresaw the danger of in- 
dividual statehood and deplored the "weakness of the 
Government in the illiberality and jealousy of the 



86 Reminiscences of M ont cl a t r 

States." In his farewell address his words were, "The 
Union is the palladium of your political safety and 
prosperity. It is of infinite moment that you should 
properly estimate the immense value of your National 
Union." 

A plank in the party platform on which Mr. Lin- 
coln was elected plainly indicated the rights of indi- 
vidual States. ''The maintenance of the rights of 
States, and especially the right of each State to order 
and control its own domestic institutions according 
to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to the 
balance of power on which the perfection and en- 
durance of our political fabric depends." Mr. Lincoln, 
in his purpose to preserve the Union, faithfully stood 
for this pledged principle in all his public deliverances, 
and when, purely as a war measure, he issued the proc- 
lamation emancipating the slaves, it was so shaped 
as to leave the power with them to retain the system 
by giving them a time limit in which to lay down 
their arms and renew their allegiance to the Govern- 
ment. Mr. Lincoln's great spontaneous speech at 
Gettysburg is an assurance that he had no other 
motive than preserving the Union in the interest of 
the South as well as the North: "We are met to 
dedicate a portion of this great battlefield as the final 
resting place of those who have given their lives that 
the Nation might live." 

But in spite of all assurances that the rights of 
the Southern States should have the same govern- 
mental protection as those of the North, and in spite 
of efforts to forestall the war by peace conferences, 
State after State, in violation of the compact, seceded 



Reminiscences of Montclair 87 

and arrayed themselves in violent opposition to the 
Government of the United States, leaving the admin- 
istrative power no alternative but the defence and 
protection of the Union, and troops were ordered to 
the front. 

As the contest assumed formidable shape in battle, 
public excitement increased throughout the North to 
a tensity almost impossible to describe, and which 
showed little abatement to the close of the struggle. 
Public opinion was divided on the question in- 
volved, and lines were sharply drawn between 
old friends in family, social and church relation- 
ship. The two sides w^ere classified as conserva- 
tives and radicals, black republicans and seces- 
sionists, nigger worshippers and copperheads. 
Severely bitter words were spoken on both sides. It 
was hard for those who were in loyal sympathy with 
the Government, many of whom had relatives and near 
friends at the front exposing their lives for their 
country, to have a spirit of tolerance or charity toward 
those who expressed the least sympathy with the re- 
bellion or denunciation of the Government. 

The confidence felt in the righteousness of the 
Union cause and in the military power of the Govern- 
ment to speedily suppress the rebellion gave strong 
hopes to the general public that the war would be a 
short one. But after an experience of bloody conflict, 
during which time the morning papers with heavy 
headlines too often brought the words of defeat and 
great losses to Union forces, saddening the hearts of 
loyalists and giving encouragement to those opposed 
to the Government, who grew more violent in their 



88 Reminiscences of Montclair 

denunciations of the war, it began to dawn upon the 
people and the Government that our Southern antag- 
onists were of like metal with our own Northern army. 
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher expressed the situation to 
a large London audience, while there seeking England's 
influence in the preservation of the Union, where he did 
the country invaluable service. In the midst of a strong 
and earnest appeal for the North and its righteous cause 
before a large audience, but one greatly at odds 
with him, he was interrupted with the question from 
one of his hearers: "If your cause is so righteous with 
your great Northern strength, why don't you put the 
rebellion down?" The quick reply was, "Because we 
are fighting Americans and not Englishmen." 

On the anniversary of our national independence, 
July 4th, 1863, the heavy headlines of our daily papers 
announced two bloody but decisive battles of the war, 
the one at Gettysburg and the other at Vicksburg. 
In the previous month (June) the Confederate Gov- 
ernment, elated with success, with full confidence in 
the safety of Richmond and in the impregnable de- 
fence of Vicksburg on the Mississippi, encouraged 
by expected aid from friends in Europe and by open 
sympathy from the North, ordered Gen. Lee to in- 
vade Maryland with forces almost equal to the Union 
Army, which under Gen. Meade was 100,000 strong. 
The bold attempt was planned to advance even to 
Washington. On June 26th the whole of Lee's army 
was in Maryland and Pennsylvania. At the same 
time, the strong opposition Gen. Grant was meeting in 
the bitter contest on the Mississippi in his advance on 
Vicksburg had a seriously depressing efYect on the 



Reminiscences of Montclair 89 

friends of the Union and gave encouragement and 
greater boldness to the opponents of the Government. 
Well do I remember those dark days with their bitter 
forebodings and the severe taunts of those denomi- 
nated Copperheads. But this tense feeling of anxiety 
was dispelled by the news that came to us on July 
4th of the decisive success of the North in the two 
historic battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg to which 
the country had been looking with intense interest for 
a long time. 

The closely contested fight at Gettysburg, which 
had a victorious ending for the Army of the Potomac 
on July 3d, was a fearful and bloody struggle that 
brought sorrow and mourning to thousands of homes, 
both North and South, for the loss of those who, 
from honest convictions, gave up their lives for 
what they believed a just cause. With this news 
on the same day came the report of the un- 
conditional surrender of Lieut.-Gen. Pemberton 
and the evacuation of Vicksburg, which had been 
besieged by Gen. Grant's forces from May i8th. That 
was a memorable Fourth of July. These two victories 
for the Union Army were received with demonstra- 
tions of joy and with a quieting effect on those who 
had rejoiced over rebel successes. These victories 
which meant so much for the preservation of the Union 
were hailed with joy by the authorities at Washington. 
The Secretary of State (Seward) sent a cheering cir- 
cular letter to the diplomats of our Government in 
foreign countries, and the President, Mr. Lincoln, 
recommended the people to observe the 15th day of 



^O Reminiscences of M o nt c I a i r 

August as a day of public national thanksgiving, 
praise and prayer. 

But the cruel war was not ended. There were still 
two years of the contest. It was believed at the North, 
also in the South in later years, that the bold and 
outspoken sympathy with the rebellion and strong 
denunciations against the Government by several 
Northern journals and some prominent individuals 
were responsible for the prolongation of the bloody 
strife, so serious in its influence that Congress deemed 
it necessary to take drastic measures to suppress this 
rebellious influence by the arrest and imprisonment 
of seditious persons, which, together with the President's 
order in the Summer of 1863 of a draft to fill up the 
ranks of the depleted army, as authorized by Con- 
gress, was a new pretext for the Government op- 
ponents. Inflammatory speeches and bitter articles 
from the partisan press followed. One example from a 
New York paper: "The miscreants at the head of 
the Government are bending all their powers, as was 
revealed in the late speech of Wendell Phillips at Fram- 
ingham, to secure a perpetuation of their ascendency 
for another four years, after their triple method of 
accomplishing this purpose, to kill oflf Democrats, 
stuff the ballot boxes with bogus soldier votes and 
deluge recusant districts with negro suffrage." One 
of the fruits of these denunciations of the Government 
was a riotous movement in New York City on July 
13th, 14th, and 15th, composed largely of the lower 
class of people who decried the draft, yelling in the 
streets, "'Down with the Abolitionists"; "Down with 
the nigger"; "Hurrah for Jeff Davis," etc. Their 



Reminiscences of M ontclair 



91 



special wrath was against the colored people. Arson 
plunder and murder resulted. The Asylum for Colored 
Orphans, valued at $200,000, in which two ladies well 
known and highly esteemed in Montclair were inter- 
ested, was a special object of hatred. The infuriated 
rioters soon laid it in ashes and the terrified inmates 
fled, pursued by the mob, and were cruelly beaten and 
maimed. Men, women and children were clubbed 
to death in the streets. A sacrifice of many lives was 
reported and $2,000,000 of property destroyed. The 
not, after its terrible work, was suppressed by the 
police aided by the troops. Six months later a 
negro regiment marched down Broadway for the field 
of battle equipped by the Loyal Legion. 

This outbreak in New York gave a feeling of un- 
certainty to the surrounding country in which the 
citizens of Montclair shared, and as a precaution the 
men of the town organized and were drilled in military 
tactics for any emergency that might arise in our town. 
The meeting place for drill was the second floor, un- 
finished, of the present Grammar School building. 
Mr. William Sigler, one of our townsmen, a loyal 
Democrat, acted as our Captain. Intense loyalty for 
the Nation's honor, however, -was strongly in evi- 
dence and dominated public sentiment in this locality. 
A call was made for a meeting of the citizens of the 
township to be held at Bloomfield (of which Montclair 
was then a part) to consider the question of raising 
our quota of men demanded by the Government in 
accordance with President Lincoln's order. In the 
course of the meeting ex-Vice-Chancellor Dodd, still 
living in Bloomfield, gravely said: "Gentlemen, there are 



92 Reminiscences of Montclair 

reasons why I cannot go to the front, but aside from 
myself and family all that I possess is at my country's 
command." The statement was greeted with hearty 
applause, which, with marked sincerity, he instantly 
checked and said, "I am not speaking for bunkum 
but for the Union," and this sentiment was so largely 
shared that the quota for our township was more than 
filled. 

It used to be said in those trying days that the 
ministers and women at the South did more to incite 
the rebellion than any other class. This was also true 
on the Union side at the North. The Christian Church 
and the women were largely loyal and did valuable 
service to the country. For years preceding the war 
there was a growing sentiment in the churches against 
slavery, particularly its extension. At the same time 
there was a conservative feeling with many that it 
was unwise to refer to it in public service. I remem- 
ber very well when public prayer for the enslaved 
would by many be regarded with disfavor. But when 
Fort Sumter was fired upon, conservatism weakened 
and the Christian Church was foremost in its declara- 
tion for the Union, and this was particularly true of 
our old First Presbyterian Church, as minutes on its 
records will show. Dr. J. Addison Priest was the 
pastor, but had just offered his resignation when the 
first guns were fired, and almost his last service was 
a strong patriotic deliverance urging his people to 
stand by the Union. It was received with thrilling 
interest and hearty approval. 

A particularly interesting event of the final ser- 
vices of Dr. Priest was his officiating at the marriage 




KEY. NELSON MII^I^ARD, D.D. 



Reminiscences of Montclair 9^ 

of one of our young ladies to Lieut. Cranford, of New 
York, on a Sabbath afternoon in the church. The 
bridegroom had been summoned with his regiment to 
the front and hastily came to the town when arrange- 
ments were made for the marriage that afternoon. The 
young people suitably decorated the audience-room 
with United States flags, and with the church well filled 
with friends the beautiful young bride was conducted 
to the altar by her aged grandfather, Capt. Joseph 
Munn, where she was met by the bridegroom in full 
military costume and they were united according to 
the Church formula in holy matrimony. Those who 
were present and now living still recall this impressive 
and beautiful service. Lieut. Cranford served his term 
in the army and died a number of years ago in the 
city of Washington, D. C, where his widow and two 
sons still live. 

Rev. Nelson Millard, a young man fresh from the 
Seminary, was called to the pastorate of the church 
and soon made public his love for the Union by 
earnest appeals for loyalty to the Government and 
fearless denunciations of slavery. Some of the good 
old conservatives in all honesty felt it was at least 
imprudent to make the semi-political question so 
prominent in the pulpit, but the young pastor saw 
what he felt to be his duty and with com- 
mendable courage, with clear and intelligent deliver- 
ance on the duty of Christian citizenship, held the 
Church almost a unit during the war in full sympathy 
with, and in hearty support of, the Government. When- 
ever it became known that he was to preach on Chris- 



94 Reminiscences of Montclair 

tian duty to the country, the church would be crowded, 
many coming from surrounding towns. 

The ladies of the town were well organized for any 
aid they could render through the agency of the 
Christian commission for the relief of the sick or 
wounded soldiers. When word came of bloody bat- 
tles and notice was given from the pulpit of needed 
supplies for the wounded, the response from the 
ladies was hearty to their utmost limit in preparing 
lint, bandages, clothing and delicacies for the sick. 
In several emergencies the ladies met on Sunday 
afternoon, collected and packed many barrels for the 
soldiers' relief and forwarded them to the front. As 
Thanksgiving day approached an appeal was made for 
a good dinner for our boys at the front. A day was 
fixed to receive the offerings at the old church, where 
wade tables were placed in front of the pulpit platform 
reaching nearly across the audience room. In the 
evening the people gathered and it was pleasing to see 
the patriotic expression embodied in the bounteous 
supply of roast turkey, chickens, pies, cakes, fruit, etc., 
so heartily contributed. 

There were many pleasant incidents connected with 
the occasion. One gentleman and his wife, now living 
in town, came in each bearing a fine roast turkey, 
one labeled Abe, for President Lincoln, and the other 
Andy, for Vice-President Johnson. The evening was 
spent in patriotic speeches from gentlemen of the 
town. The good things were packed that night in 
large flat cases and next morning shipped to our boys 
at the front. 

Two of these turkeys were secured by a patriotic 



Reminiscences of Montclair 95 

young lady from a gentleman who was pronounced 
in his opposition to the Government and the war, on a 
wager that she should carry one of them from New 
York, refusing all ofifers of assistance, and he to carry 
the other. The condition was agreed to, and a few 
weeks afterwards the following doggerel, which was ap- 
pended to one of the turkeys, appeared in the "Jersey- 
man," published in Morristown : 

"These turkeys are sent from a Copperhead State 
And were bought by a Copperhead, too; 

But were won by a loyal Union girl 

Who with pleasure now sends them to you. 

One morning while turkeys were being discussed 

By herself and a Copperhead friend, 
She asked for love of our brave soldier boys 

That he also some turkeys would send. 

He agreed only on this one condition 

To present her two turkeys to roast 
Provided she gave satisfactory proof 

That her zeal for the cause was no boast. 

He would bring one turkey from New York, 

She herself should carry the other 
Through the boat and the cars all the way through 

Refusing all aid from another. 

It was done; the turkeys were bought, stuffed and 
cooked 

And now without shade of misgiving 
That coming from home they'd be welcomed with joy, 

So send them to you for Thanksgiving." 



96 Reminiscences of M o nt c I a t r 

The service rendered the sick and wounded soldiers 
by loyal hearts, in which the women were foremost, 
is beyond a moneyed estimate. The two organizations 
through which such heroic work was done for the 
moral and physical welfare of the soldiers, were the 
U. S. Sanitary and the U. S. Christian Commissions. 
They were constantly in the wake of the army with 
relief and comfort for the wounded and dying, often 
in sad and tender circumstances administering the 
consolation of the Christian faith to the dying and 
taking last messages for mother, wife and friend at 
home. The records state that $6,000,000 were ex- 
pended in the Christian Commission work, and that a 
single fair in New York realized $1,181,500 for the 
work of the U. S. Sanitary Commission. 

In the City of New York two military camps were 
located for the accommodation of troops passing 
through the city on their way to the front. One 
was at the Battery and the other in the City Hall 
Park. Rough board barracks were built where the 
post-office now stands, and brave soldiers, temporarily 
here, received many kind expressions in word and 
deed from noble-hearted men and women. 

One day while I was standing near the Astor 
House, opposite this camp, a Maine regiment came 
marching down Broadway headed by a fine band 
playing "John Brown's body lies mouldering in the 
ground." To see those stalwart men in martial tread 
was an impressive sight, and as I thought of the hor- 
rors of war these noble fellows were facing, and 
which doubtless involved the lives of many of them, 
I could not keep back the tears. 



Reminiscences of M o n t c I a i r 97 

The rendezvous for recruits of this locality was 
Camp Frelinghuysen, located in Roseville on the east 
side of Roseville Avenue a short distance north of the 
Lackawanna R. R. track. It was farm land at the 
time. Rough board barracks and tents furnished 
quarters for the soldiers and the fields offered ample 
room for drill. It was a common event in town for 
friends to drive down and visit the boys in camp. I 
recall such a visit with my wife in September, 1862, 
a few days before one of the regiments was to start 
for the front. While there we met a patriotic wife 
from Montclair who was making some repairs on her 
husband's clothing. Mrs. Doremus remarked "final 
stitches." She cheerfully replied, "Yes, and with 
love." It was not long after that the word came 
that the husband had been wounded in battle and 
had died May 5th, 1863, near Fredericksburg, Va. 
His body was kindly cared for by a Confederate family 
and afterward recovered and buried in the Bloomfield 
Cemetery. He left a bereaved young wife and son. 
His name is being perpetuated by the John M. Wheeler 
Post. 

Frederick H. Harris, with intelligent and patriotic 
zeal for his country, volunteered his services in the 
army for three years. With a captain's commission he 
organized Company E of the 13th Regiment, New 
Jersey Volunteers. Previous to leaving Camp Freling- 
huysen, September ist, 1862, he was presented with a 
handsome sword and silk sash by his fellow townsmen. 
The presentation was made by Mr. Julius H. Pratt at 
a meeting of citizens held in the lecture room of the 
First Presbyterian Church, July 17th, 1862. Mr. 



98 Reminiscences of M o nt cl a i r 

Pratt made a pleasing and patriotic address in behalf 
of the citizens, followed by a thankful response 
from Capt. Harris. He was promoted Major, then 
Lieut.-Colonel and later Brevet-Colonel. He served 
with the army of the Potomac, marched with Sher- 
man's army to the sea and was engaged in about the 
last battle of the war at Bentonville, N. C, receiving 
special honors. He lived many years afterward a 
respected citizen of Montclair, where he suddenly died 
March i6th, 1889. Over his grave his comrades have 
placed a monumental stone expressive of their esteem. 
Dr. John J. H. Love, our town physician, who from 
the outbreak of the war had shown strong interest 
in the country's welfare, offered his services to the 
■Government, was accepted and commissioned Surgeon 
of the 13th Regiment and mustered into the United 
States Service August 25th, 1862. His services were 
in requisition in less than a month later, at the battle 
of Antietam, September 17th, where our West Bloom- 
field boys, in about three weeks from the time they 
left Camp Frelinghuysen, met their first experience 
in the horrors of war, and with some of them it was 
their final. James M. Taylor, a promising young man 
of our town, was killed in this battle and his body 
never recovered. On account of personal achieve- 
ment through his skill as a surgeon, Dr. Love was 
rapidly promoted from Regimental Surgeon to be Sur- 
geon in Chief of the First Division, Twelfth Army 
Corps, which position he assumed August ist, 1863. 
He was a member of Gen. A. S. Williams' staff and 
served at different times under Gen. Hooker and 
Gen. Slocum. January 23d, 1864, he resigned his com- 



Reminiscences of M ont cl a i r 99 

mission and was honorably discharged from the 
United States Service, was heartily welcomed back 
to Montclair and resumed his practice among his 
numerous friends. 

Joseph Nason, a young man of promise and only 
eighteen years old, living in the town, with strong 
and tender home attachments and many friends, with 
earnest patriotic zeal enlisted in the 26th Regiment, 
N. J. Volunteers, and was made First Lieutenant. 
In recognition of his devotion to his country his 
friends presented him with a handsome sword. 
He was later assigned to Co. H, 39th Regiment, 
N. J. Volunteers, and was killed in the last day's 
fight in front of Petersburg, April ist, 1865, aged 
twenty years and ten months. With difficulty his body 
was recovered and brought home. It was a sad day 
in Montclair, I well remember, when kind friends con- 
veyed his remains from the station to his father's 
house, which stood where Mr. Gates' residence now 
stands on Mountain Avenue. His funeral service was 
doubly sad, as it was held the Sabbath following the 
assassination of President Lincoln. The service was 
conducted in the First Presbyterian Church, of which 
he was a member, by the pastor, Rev. Nelson Millard. 
After the impressive service his friends passed in line 
by the casket and looked on the familiar and peaceful 
face of the young soldier. He was clad in his uni- 
form and on his breast lay a minie ball marking the 
spot where he was shot. His body was buried in 
Rosedale Cemetery. On the stone that marks his 
grave is carved: "A Christian patriot who devoted his 



100 Reminiscences of Aiontclair 

life during almost the entire Civil War to the service 
of his country." 

Sergeant Charles Littell enlisted September i8th, 
1862, in the 26th Regiment, N. J. Volunteers and died 
from illness contracted in service March 6th, 1863, 
in camp at Belle Plain, Va., aged twenty-six years, 
leaving a young wife and one child. His funeral was 
largely attended in the M. E. Church, of which he 
was a member. 

John B. Munn, another esteemed young man of 
the town, was a sad sacrifice to his country. He was 
First Sergeant of Co. E, 13th Regiment, N, J. Volun- 
teers, and was killed while in action at Chancellorville, 
Va., May 3d, 1863, aged twenty-five years. He left 
many relatives and friends mourning his loss. His 
grave is in Rosedale Cemetery. 

Nicholas Bradley, of the 13th Regiment, N. J. 
Volunteers, a fine young German who had lived in 
town for some years, was a victim of the battle of Wil- 
liamsburg. His death was a bitter grief to his younger 
brother, who was in my employ when the sad news 
came to him. 

Peter King enlisted September i8th, 1862, in the 
26th Regiment, N. J. Volunteers. He died in service 
at the Regimental Hospital near White Oak Church, 
Va., December nth, 1862, and was buried in the 
National Cemetery, Fredericksburg, Va., Division B, 
Section B, Grave No. 408. 

As the names of those from our town who did valiant 
service and survived the Civil War are recorded in 
the more complete history of Montclair, published in 
1894, I have omitted the list in this paper. Many of 



Reminiscences of M o n t c I a i r lOl 

them are still living with us, but their lessening number 
is apparent at every gathering of the Grand Army of 
the Republic. What we of Montclair owe to these 
veterans and those who died in service, securing to 
us the blessings we share in the Union preserved in 
this vast and prosperous country, is beyond estimate. 
It was the earnest desire of our lamented Dr. Love 
that some tangible memorial should evidence our ap- 
preciation and perpetuate the names of these men 
who voluntarily rendered such invaluable service. 

To what these men were exposed in warfare rjiay 
be better understood by some information direct from 
the field of battle. A personal letter from Dr. Love 
that I have preserved, dated at Maryland Heights, 
October i8th, 1862, states, "I am heartily sick of this 
life. I came out knowing just what it was, but a 
deep sense of duty to my country impelled me to 
go. I would return to-morrow if it were not for the 
same feeling of duty. On the day and after the battle 
of Antietam I had very, very hard work. I stood at 
the amputating table for four consecutive days and 
looked at night more like a butcher from the slaughter 
house than anything else." 

Some time after the close of the war a day was 
fixed for the dedication of the National Cemetery at 
Antietam, where were buried so many of our men who 
fell in the bloody battle to which Dr. Love referred 
in his letter. The doctor invited me to accompany 
him to the ceremony of dedication and visit the battle- 
field in which he felt a strong personal interest. The 
attendance there was large, with representatives from 
various parts of the country, including many prominent 



102 Reminiscences of Montclair 

military officers and citizens. President Andrew John- 
son was conspicuous and made an address. Some 
of his remarks I remember were not kindly received 
by the many veterans in attendance who were now 
standing near the graves of their fallen comrades. 
While there we walked about the town and battlefield. 
It was pathatic to hear the doctor tell of sad inci- 
dents that he had seen connected with the various 
points as we passed, still so fresh in his mind. As we 
ascended a little hill and neared the Dunker Church, 
which, as well as the fence and trees, was still marred 
virith bullet shots, he pointed to the woods back of the 
church and said "There the rebel force were stationed," 
and off to the right he pointed to another hill and 
grove where a strong Union artillery force was lo- 
cated. "The Confederates crossed the road near the 
little church, entered the field in front of us advanc- 
ing in well drilled order on toward our batteries, and 
when in proper range the Union order was 'Fire,' 
and," he added sadly, "as the smoke cleared away, 
the poor fellows were lying dead in rows." 

Some years ago I had a very pleasant meeting 
with S. H. M. Byer, of the 5th Iowa Regiment, and 
author of "Sherman's March to the Sea." His ac- 
count of war experiences was interesting and sad. As 
he related the terrible sufferings of himself and others 
at Libby Prison, so vivid and distressing, it needed 
his living presence to assure me that he could possibly 
endure such hardship and live. Escape was his only 
hope of life. Bartering the few little valuables he had 
left, he procured piece by piece a full Confederate 
suit and in it boldly walked out of the prison grounds, 



Reminiscences of M o nt cl a t r 103 

passing guards and outposts by various subterfuges. 
He related hair-breadth escapes that made my 
hair stand. An article from his pen in Harper's 
Magazine, a little more than a year ago, gives his 
experience in battle: "Grant's army was making its 
advance on Vicksburg. We charged up into the 
woods under a heavy fire. Suddenly we were stopped 
by a blazing line of Confederate musketry. There the 
two lines, the blue and the gray, stood two mortal 
hours and poured hot musketry into each other's faces. 
I was struck twice, but slightly hurt. Comrades near 
me I saw covered with blood, their faces black with 
powder, fighting on. The dead lay everywhere un- 
noticed. Would that awful line in front of us ever 
give way! The terrific fighting continued. Some 
took cartridges from the dead and fought on. Once 
we were being flanked. A boy ran up to me crying, 
'My regiment has run, what will I do?' "Load and 
fire.' He did until both his legs were shot ofT by a 
cannon ball. Before sundown the battle was over. 
Leaving our dead unburied, our wounded in the 
woods, we hurried on. 'That was war.' " 

Reference has been made to the Vicksburg siege. 
The above battle was fought during this siege and 
its surrender came at the same time with the decisive 
victory of the Union forces at Gettysburg. After this 
there was little doubt on the part of the Government 
and the loyal people of the North as to the final issue. 
But all were not of this opinion. A townsman whose 
opinions on ordinary questions would command re- 
spect, said to me but a few weeks before Lee's surren- 
der: "The North will never succeed in this war." I 



1 04 Reminiscences ojMontclair 

smiled, but did not say what I believed — that his judg- 
ment was shaped by his party preference. 

In the face of defeats, the Confederacy, with true 
American grit, continued the contest against great 
odds. Encouraged still by Northern sympathizers 
the contest continued under the leadership of Gen. 
Lee, pitted against Gen. Grant at the head of the 
Union forces, with increasing devastation and distress 
throughout the Southern States to an extent that was 
not known till after the war was ended. Some par- 
ticulars were given me by a lady in Aiken, S. C. 
Her home had been in Charleston till near the time 
it was evacuated. Her husband was pastor of one of 
the city churches. Her story was sad to hear. It told 
of the stress to which they were driven for the ordinary 
necessities of life, the loss of property, the terrible sus- 
pense, fearing an uprising of the negroes. The family 
silver was concealed in the bottom of the well or buried 
in the field. In the final settlement of the pastor with 
his church, as I remember, he received in amount 
$1,500, paid in Confederate currency so depleted in 
value that it took the entire amount to purchase for 
himself a hat. While we were there we bought $1,000 
bills of the same currency for ten cents each. They 
were estimable people and still felt theirs was a right- 
eous cause, but deeply deplored the assassination of 
President Lincoln, whom they believed to be a true 
friend to the South. 

It was on Sunday, April 2d, 1865, when the end 
of the war was in sight. A telegram from Gen. Lee 
was handed to the Confederate President Davis at 
II A. M. while attending service at St. Paul's Church, 



Reminiscences of Montclair 105 

Richmond. He quietly withdrew from tlie church, 
his face expressing anxiety, and of necessity the con- 
tents of the telegram soon became known: "Richmond 
must be evacuated this evening." The historic record 
of the event is: "With blanched faces and dark fore- 
bodings, residents of the city were hastening to col- 
lect their effects and every available conveyance was 
in demand to hasten the flight. By authority, barrels 
of liquor were emptied into the streets and many of 
the public buildings and storehouses fired, and by 
midnight all signs of the boasted Confederacy had fled 
from Richmond, its seat of government, with the city 
in flames as well as the war boats on the river." At 
an early hour on Monday morning. Gen. Weitzel, with 
a colored regiment, entered the city and first ex- 
tinguished the fires. Gen. De Puyster, of Gen. Weit- 
zel's staff, unfurled the United States flag on Virginia's 
State House where it had not floated for four years. 

At this time, while the Federal troops were in front 
of Richmond, our pastor. Dr. Millard, was with them 
on leave of absence from the church to serve on the 
Christian Commission. He was offered by his old 
friend, Gen. Ripley, a horse on which to ride into the 
city with his staff, but concluded to walk in with two 
other young clergymen, of whom Rev. Charles E. 
Knox of Bloomfield was one. Gen. Ripley was made 
Provost Marshal of Richmond the first day, and Dr. 
Millard, with others sitting at his table, at his dictation 
( ?) wrote orders for guards, which the General caused 
to be stationed in many points of the city. From the 
city he mailed m.e two Richmond papers, one issued just 
before the evacuation and the other soon after. The 



lo6 Reminiscences of Montclatr 

paper on which they were printed showed to what straits 
they were reduced for ordinary material. The first paper 
was marked by strong rebel sentiments and the later is- 
sue with quite a spirit of moderation, very expressive of 
changed circumstances. I preserved these papers for 
many years as valuable historic matter, and very much 
regret at this present moment I am not able to find 
them. 

The evacuation of Richmond, followed by Gen. 
Lee's surrender on the 9th of April, was received with 
great joy all over the North. It would be very diffi- 
cult to give to the younger people of the present day a 
full understanding of the deep heartfelt gratitude that 
possessed the public mind when the news was wired 
throughout the North that the sad Civil contest was 
ended. Strong men grasping each other's hands with 
tearful eyes expressed their earnest feelings of thank- 
fulness. At the National Capital public offices were 
closed, business suspended and general rejoicing pre- 
vailed. The National colors, with renewed brightness, 
were floating all over the country. Broadway, New 
York, was ablaze with the Red, White and Blue. In 
Wall Street immense throngs listened to patriotic 
speeches, while old Trinity Church bells chimed music 
in accord with the general rejoicing and thousands 
of voices in this great financial center joined in sing- 
ing the Christian Doxology, "Praise God from whom 
all blessings flow," thus expressing the universal joy 
that was felt over the conclusion of the bloody war 
and over the Union preserved. 

It was rather remarkable in the closing days of the 
four years of war, liow joy. sorrow and bitter hate 



Reminiscences of Montclair 1 07 

grouped in historic events. On Sunday night, April 
2d, the dismayed Confederacy evacuated their Capital 
City, Richmond. On Monday morning, the 3d, the 
Union forces possessed the city and raised again 
over the Capitol the National Union emblem. On 
the 9th, Gen. Lee made complete surrender to Gen. 
U. S. Grant. On the 12th, the Confederate soldiers 
laid down their arms. On the 14th, the U. S. flag 
was again raised over Fort Sumter; and while in the 
midst of the general rejoicing, that very night the 
telegraph flashed throughout the country the dastardly 
assassination of President Lincoln, shot by John 
Wilkes Booth, saying as he fled from the scene of 
his shameful act: 'The South is avenged." As the 
country had grown to understand the magnanimous 
character of Mr. Lincoln, his universal charity that 
included the whole country as the one object of his 
efforts, knowing no North or South, the knowledge 
had engendered a tender regard for the President in 
the hearts of the people, making the sorrow all the 
more deep and sincere over the circumstances of his 
death; and with it was manifest, even with the most 
charitable, a latent spirit of revenge that was hard to 
keep in control. The tension was so strong that it was 
unsafe for a known opponent of the Government to 
intimate his approval of the act. That the assassina- 
tion of Mr. Lincoln was a secret satisfaction to some 
living among us was well known. One man, it was 
reported, who had a boy born to him about this time, 
named him Wilkes Booth. 

After Mr. Lincoln was shot he was carried to a 
plain residence near by, where he died the next morn- 



Io8 Reminiscences of Montclair 

ing, April 15th, at 7.22 o'clock. The house containing 
the little room where his great spirit left its mortal 
frame is preserved to the public, and in it is a large 
collection of material of interest connected with his 
tragic death and the events of those historic days. 
The body of the good man that the public desired to 
reverently honor was brought to New York eii route 
to Springfield, Illinois. 

Dr. Millard, who had seen the President on the 
streets in Richmond but a few days before, suggested 
that we go into New York and witness this historic 
funeral event. The great depot building at Jersey 
City was thronged with people at an early hour, 
awaiting the arrival of the funeral train. The body, 
under military escort, was taken to the City Hall in 
New York and placed on a catafalque near the en- 
trance of the Governor's room, where I had shaken 
hands with him a few years before. After the public 
officials had looked upon his face, the general public 
were allowed to pass in line beside his casket. The 
largeness of the crowd of respectful people, eager to 
see the face of the great man, was an index to the 
deep feeling of sympathy that prevailed in the public 
mind. I was one of the great crowd in line, and, 
while it was orderly, my experience in the press w^as 
such that I regarded it as dangerous. No less ex- 
pressive of public feeling were the somber emblems 
of mourning throughout the city and the entire coun- 
try. Broadway, that a day or two before had been 
ablaze with the National colors, was now almost 
solidly draped with black. All the public buildings 
were clad in mourninsr with the larg^e columns in 



Remi nt s cence s o f M o n t c I a i r 109 

front wound with black material. So extensive was 
the desire of the people to give expression to their 
sorrow in mourning emblems, it was said the market 
of suitable material was exhausted. In Montclair, 
with hardly an exception, every business place and 
private residence was draped in mourning. In the 
old church the pulpit was heavily draped and the gal- 
leries festooned with black. Those were sad and im- 
pressive times that will cling to memory. They brought 
to the public mind a more tender sympathy with the 
many, both North and South, who were in deep per- 
sonal sorrow over the loss of noble men of their own 
families. 

The fact that Fort Sumter was the place of the 
first attack in the war gave it a prominence as 
a historic battleground like Bunker Hill, James- 
town and Princeton, and a place of interest to 
visit. I remember with what peculiar interest I 
walked through the battered fortification and saw the 
historic guns that answered the first rebel cannonade. 
It was just five days after the surrender of Gen. Lee 
and on the fourth anniversary day of the withdrawal of 
the United States command of this old fort, that a 
large delegation of citizens from the North assembled 
with patriotic interest and saw the raising again by 
Gen. Anderson of the same United States flag he was 
obliged to haul down four years before. Among the 
visitors were Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and, from 
our town, Mr. William B. Bradbury, much esteemed 
by the children of the town for the interest he had 
taken in instructing them in Sabbath school music. 



no Reminiscences ofMontclatr 

He was invited to tell the children of his visit to Fort 
Sumter. His account was exceedingly interesting. 
The one thing that seemed to particularly impress him 
was the colored people, fresh out of slavery and the 
hard experience of the war. After some description 
of their characteristics, he said, while they had a 
feeling of vengeance against the rebellion it was tem- 
pered with a sort of religious emotion illustrated in 
their singing, which he gave in their own words and 
tune, viz.: 

**Hang Jeff Davis on a sour apple tree! 
Hang JeflF Davis on a sour apple tree! 
Hang Jeflf Davis on a sour apple tree! 
Glory, Glory Hallelujah!" 

The reconstruction of the country required years 
of patient and wise legislation in adjusting new and 
serious difficulties. The natural antagonism the war 
had engendered in the public mind, the hordes of 
untutored slaves made free, created difficult problems 
for the general Government and the States. More 
than forty years of time leave us more than a genera- 
tion removed from the immediate strife. Intelligent 
statesmanship and a vast amount of educational work 
among the Freedmen, together with the intermingling 
of the people of the whole country through the pres- 
ent facilities of travel, have done much to obliterate 
sectional strife. The growing development of South- 
ern industries, interstate commerce with increasing 
business relations bringing the people into closer con- 
tact and a better acquaintance in sharing mutual in- 
terests, will have their part in unifying the public 



Reminiscences ojMontclair iii 

feeling that, under the "Government of the people, 
by the people and for the people" we should reach a 
perfection in legislation that would give equal pro- 
tection to all the people throughout the entire terri- 
tory of these United States, and thus perpetuate this 
glorious union of States through all time. 







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